THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


TLhc  practice 

...OF... 

Zhc  ITnterior  %itc 


BY  THE 

KidM  mmni  m\\\m  €.  mcLmn,  $X.D.»  D.ex.» 

BISHOP  OF  CHICAGO. 


**36ut  one  tbtng  Is  necbful;  an^  /IDar^  batb  chosen  tbat 
(5oo^  part,  wbicb  sball  not  be  taf?en  awa?  from  ber.'' 


MILWAUKEE.  WIS.: 
THE  YOUNG  CHURCHMAN  CO. 

LONDON: 

Sampson  low,  Marston  &  Co. 


copyright  by 
The  Young  Churchman  Co., 
1897. 


Zo  tbe  Moments  HuyiUari? 

of  tbe 

Wioccec  of  Cbicago 

WLhOt  on  a  **(Slu(ct  S)a^,''  ipirst  1bear& 
a  Con0^^crable  iportion  of  (t, 
Ubfs  IDolumc 

IFa  Btfectionatel^  "ffnscdbeD  tbeir 


667192 


4  4  •fl^  OW  it  came  to  pass,  as  the^^  went,  that  He  entered 
II  *  into  a  certain  village;  and  a  certain  woman 
named  Martha  received  Him  into  her  house.  And  she  had 
a  sister  called  Mary,  which  also  sat  at  Jesus'  feet,  and  heard 
His  Word.  But  Martha  was  cumbered  about  much  serving, 
and  came  to  Him,  and  said,  Lord,  dost  Thou  not  care  that 
my  sister  hath  left  me  to  serve  alone  ?  bid  her  therefore  that 
she  help  me.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her, 
Martha,  Martha,  thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about  many 
things :  but  one  thing  is  needful :  and  Mary  hath  chosen 
that  good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her.** 
— S.  Luke,  X.  38-42. 


Uable  of  Contents. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

A  Quiet  Day  at  Bethany   13-19 

The  Immeasurable  Greatness  of  the  Son  of 
God — Its  Foundations  in  His  Interior  Life — 
His  journey  to  Bethany  and  Reception  There— 
The  Rebuke  of  Martha  and  the  Approval  of 
Mary. 

CHAPTER  11. 

The  Interior  Life  and  Extern alism   20-24? 

The  Christian  Life  an  Interior  Union  with 
God — Forms  of  Externalism — The  Unreality 
of  Mere  Zeal 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  One  Thing  Needful   25-31 

Analysis  of  the  Character  of  Martha  and  of 
Mary — Two  Theories  of  Disci pleship. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Sin  of  Exteriority   32-42 

Martha's  Error  Common — Salvation  by  Zeal 
— Causes :  (1)  Reaction  from  Protestant  Sub- 
jectivity;  (2)  False  Theory  of  Sin. 


8 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PAGE. 

The  Duty  of  Perfection   43-52 

A  Third  Cause,  Wrong  View  of  the  End  of 
Man — Lnkewarmness  and  Its  Dangers — The 
Acquisition  of  Relative  Perfection. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Strivings  of  the  Spirit   53-64 

Conventional  Discipleship — The  Life  of  our 
Lord — The  Higher  Type — Visitations  from 
Above — Hov^  Received — Aspirations — Resolu- 
tions— Perseverance. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Self-Surrender   65-74 

Necessity  for  Guidance — Self-Abandonment 
to  God  and  His  Will— The  Act  Becomes  the 
Habit. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Self-Oblation   75-80 

Our  Lord's  Perfect  Self-Surrender—The  Ex- 
perience of  S.  Paul. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Way  of  Purgation   81-90 

Self-Oblation  not  a  Passive  Surrender — Three 
Stages  of  Growth— Progress  is  slow— The 
Sin  of  Impatience. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS,  9 


CHAPTER  X. 

PAGE. 

The  Death  Struggle  with  Sin  91-103 


The  Way  of  Purgation  Involves  the  Over- 
throw of  Sense  Domination — The  Besetting 
Sin — Occasions  of  Sin  to  be  Avoided — First 
Assaults  Repelled — Venial  Sins  Dangerous — 
Spiritual    Pride  —  Contemplation  of  God's 


Goodness. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Practice  of  Self-Scrutiny  104-114 

Eleven  Words  of  Counsel  for  Those  Who 
Would  Know  Themselves. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
"I  Will  Arise  and  Go  to  My  Father"    .   .   .  115-126 
The  Elements  of  Repentance — Its  Seat  in  the 
Will,  Not  in  the  Feelings — The  Simplicity  of  a 
Sincere  Repentance. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Ornament  of  a  Quiet  Spirit  127-142 


The  Necessity  of  Solitude  and  Silence— We 
Must  Seek  God  Where  We  Are— Evils  ot  Un- 
restrained Speech  —  The  Serenity  of  God  —  A 
Meek  and  Lowly  Heart— The  Practice  of 
Recollection — Extravagant  Notions  of  Sanc- 
tity—The Grace  of  Charity. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Detachment  and  Indifference  143-152 

The  Spirit  of  Detachment— Four  Applica- 
tions of  it— A  High  Standard  Indispensable 
— Indifterence. 


10 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PAGE. 

In  the  Crucible  153-169 

Self-Surrender  a  Via  Dolorosa — External  and 
Spiritual  Trials — Conditions  of  Growth — Our 
Lord's  Way  of  the  Cross — Our  Example  in 
Pain,  Worry,  Aridity,  Discouragement. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Ministry  of  Temptation  170-178 

The  Assaults  of  Temptation — No  Discharge 
in  That  War— The  Value  of  the  Conflict— Not 
a  Sin  to  be  Tempted. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Ways  of  Escape  ;   .   .  179-193 

Expectation — Resistance — Avoidance — Flight 
— Substitution — Greater  Attraction  —  Prayer 
— Discrimination. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Means  of  Grace   194-203 

The  Grace  Which  Makes  Holy,  Found  in  the 
Means  of  Grace — The  Law  of  Love  and  the 
Love  of  Law  in  Union — The  Church,  Sacra- 
ments, and  Ministry  to  be  Honored. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

At  the  Altar   204-213 

The  Incarnation  the  Union  of  Two  Worlds — 
The  Holy  Eucharist  Its  Analogy— The  New 
Eye  and  Vision— Relations  of  the  Branch  and 
the  Vine. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  11 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PAGE. 

Prayer  214-228 

Imperfect  Ways  of  Prayer — The   Life  of 
Prayer — Its  Supreme  Motive,  Love  for  God. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Mental  Prayer   229-240 

The  Prayer  of  Meditation,  a  Lost  Art— Its 
Nature  and  Necessity. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Prayer  of  Meditation   241-253 

The  Subjects,  the  Methods,  and  the  Results 
of  Mental  Prayer. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Service  the  Fruit  of  the  New  Life   254-264 

The  Conversion  of  Martha — The  Message  of 
the  Nev^  Martha,  '*The  Master  is  come  and 
calleth  for  thee!"— The  Secret  of  True  Ser- 
vice Revealed. 


CHAPTER  1. 


H  duiet  2)ai?  at  JBetbans* 

The  Immeasurable  Greatness  of  the  Son  of  God— Its 
Foundations  in  His  Interior  Life— His  Journey  to 
Bethany  and  Reception  There— The  Rebuke  of 
Martha  and  the  Approval  of  Mary. 

EAR  as  Jerusalem  was  to  His  heart,  our 
Lord  was  never  a  permanent  resident  of 
the  Holy  City.  His  pious  duty  as  a  member  of 
the  Old  Covenant,  however,  as  well  as  His  min- 
istry in  the  establishment  of  the  New,  rendered 
frequent  journeys  thither  necessary.  He  must 
be  about  His  Father's  business.  He  to  whom 
God  the  Father  gave  not  the  Spirit  by  measure, 
whose  will  was  in  perfect  unison  with  the  Fath- 
er's, with  whom  His  communion  was  unspeak- 
ably intimate,  whose  life  was  so  purely  interior 
that  external  duties  could  not  bring  to  bear 


14 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


Upon  Him  any  force  of  distraction  or  abatement 
or  weariness,  could  never  for  one  moment  lose 
sight  of  that  which  was  given  Him  to  do.  But 
it  was  the  absolute  simplicity  of  His  will  in  its 
relation  to  the  Father  which  put  vitality  into 
His  relation  to  His  mission. 

We  do  an  injustice  to  the  symmetry  of  His 
character  if  we  dwell  too  much  upon  His  passive 
experiences.  True,  He  was  a  man  of  sorrows, 
and  acquainted  with  grief,  but  He  was  also 
a  being  of  immeasurable  force  and  aggress- 
ive power.  The  thorns  which  crowned  Him 
crowded  the  kingliest  of  men.  The  human 
nature  which  hung  upon  the  cross  was  endowed 
with  those  exceptional  and  transcendent  qual- 
ities, which,  in  others,  are  expressed  by  the  term 
genius,"  save  that  in  Him  they  passed  up  to 
the  height  of  unprecedented  power.  Consider 
what  a  mastery  and  force  was  His,  w^ho,  at  the 
end  of  nineteen  centuries,  exercises  upon  man- 
kind a  greater  influence  than  He  did  during  the 
period  of  His  physical  stay  upon  the  earth ! 

But  the  most  cursory  view  of  this  wonderful 
life  indicates  that  the  hidden  sources  of  His 
power  were  in  the  Divine.  The  works  of  His 
hands,  the  immense  devotion  of  His  powers  to 
the  welfare  of  men,  the  zeal  which  gave  Him  no 


A  QUIET  DAY  AT  BETHANY. 


15 


rest  in  the  prosecution  of  His  mission  but  rather 
consumed  Him,  grew  out  of  the  perfection  of 
His  interior  relations  with  the  Father.  The 
inexpressible  force  of  His  will,  bursting  into 
activity  at  every  step  of  His  career  and  never 
more  vividly  than  at  its  close,  proclaimed  in 
actions  more  eloquent  than  words,  the  absolute 
and  intelligent  co-operation  of  His  human  will 
with  His  Divine.  The  foundation  upon  which 
Christianity  has  been  built  up  through  the  ages, 
triumphing  over  its  foes  and  over  its  own  cor- 
ruptions, has  been  the  unique  spiritual  greatness 
of  its  Founder.  If  these  triumphs  have  not 
been  final,  if  v^e  see  not  yet  all  things  put  under 
Him,  the  responsibility  lies  not  at  His  door.  It 
is  the  Church  which  has  failed,  by  her  want  of 
devotion  to  hercommission.  Itis  theindividual 
disciple  that  has  failed,  by  failure  to  live  the  life 
of  Christ  in  the  world  in  measure  as  he  ought. 
It  is  he  that  has  failed,  who  has  lost  sight  of  the 
essential  feature  of  Christ's  zeal  that  it  was  the 
expression  of  a  deep  interior  devotion.  There- 
fore the  great  present  need  is  the  restoration  of 
the  idea  of  the  Christian  life  which  the  life  of 
Christ  teaches  and  exemplifies.  We  need  to 
learn  from  Him  the  practice  of  the  supernatural 
virtues,  the  evangelical  counsels,  the  conquest  of 


16 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


self-love,  the  life  of  prayer,  the  pure  love  of  God 
for  His  Own  sake. 

We  spoke  just  now  of  our  Lord's  frequent 
journeys  to  Jerusalem.  It  was  upon  one  of 
these  that  He  stopped  in  at  the  home  of  Martha 
and  Mary  at  Bethany.  He  knows  well  the  way 
through  its  narrow  streets,  for  very  often,  and, 
possibl^^,  as  often  as  He  has  journeyed  up  to 
Jerusalem,  has  He  found  temporary  respite  and 
rest  under  Martha's  hospitable  roof.  Few  were 
the  homes  where  He  was  a  welcome  visitor; 
and  His  intimacy  with  this  one,  strangely 
enough,  was  to  give  occasion  for  that  exercise  of 
sovereignty  over  death,  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus, 
which  would  precipitate  His  own  death  upon 
the  Cross. 

And  whom  does  this  wearied  sojourner  find 
in  the  Bethany  home  ? 

There  is  Lazarus— probably  a  young  man 
with  pale  face,  sunken  eyes,  and  an  impoverished 
frame;  a  gentle  spirit,  purified  by  pain,  restrained 
and  serene  through  much  communion  with  God; 
just  the  manner  of  man  who  would  draw 
towards  himself  the  sympathetic  love  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  How  little  Lazarus  and  this  affec- 
tionate family  realize  the  proximity  of  death! 


A  QUIET  DAY  AT  BETHANY. 


17 


How  little,  the  speedy  solace  of  a  vanquished 
grave ! 

There  is  Martha,  the  elder  sister ;  and  one  can 
see  at  a  glance  that  she  is  one  of  those  good 
souls  who  bear  the  world  on  their  shoulders. 
Plain,  practical,  common  sense''  woman  that 
she  is,  she  has  put  the  pot  on  the  fire  almost  as 
soon  as  our  Lord  has  stooped  to  remove  His 
sandals  and  wash  His  feet. 

There  is  Mary — not  so  beautiful  a  woman 
perhaps  as  Martha,  only  that  her  eyes  seem  to 
reflect  the  light  of  more  distant  horizons,  only 
that  a  certain  repose  of  manner  and  serenity  of 
expression  suggest  habitual  recollection  of  her 
faculties  and  interior  union  with  God  in  the 
wa3^s  of  contemplative  prayer. 

The  Lord  seats  Himself,  and  begins  to  speak 
of  heavenly  things,  and  of  things  soon  to  come 
to  pass  upon  the  earth.  What  a  solace  to  His 
mighty  but  much  tried  spirit  must  this  Bethany 
family  have  been!  What  a  quiet  day  to  this 
despised  and  rejected  One  from  whom  His  Own 
countrymen  hid  their  faces !  What  a  refuge, 
-where  His  love  was  certain  to  meet  the  response 
of  love!  For,  as  S.  John  tells  us,  Jesus  loved 
Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus.''  And 
how  like  healing  balms  must  the  Master's  prec- 


18 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


ious  words  have  melted  into  the  soul  of  Lazarus, 
fast  ripening  for  the  tomb !  Mary,  restrained 
by  humility,  placid  because  of  much  familiarity 
with  invisible  realities,  lost  to  self-consciousness 
in  the  presence  of  the  MCvSsiah,  Mary  ^^sat  at 
Jesus'  feet  and  heard  His  words/' 

But  Martha  could  not  get  beyond  the  thought 
that  the  Lord  was  an  hungered;  His  physical 
need  to  which  she  desired  to  minister  was  more 
to  her  than  her  own  spiritual  need,  to  which  He 
desired  to  minister.  It  was  Martha's  way,  and 
like  the  most  of  us  she  thought  hers  the  best 
way.  Only  at  rare  intervals  did  the  Messiah 
stop  in  at  Bethany,  and  when  He  came  was  He 
not  worthy  of  their  best  welcome?  It  was  a 
fine,  cordial  zeal  which  would  handsomely  pro- 
vide for  the  beloved  Guest  who  honored  her 
house  with  His  presence.  From  her  point  of 
view  the  entertainment  must  correspond  with 
the  dignity  of  the  Guest;  and  to  prepare  and 
set  it  forth  becomingly  required  more  labor  than 
one  pair  of  hands  could  give.  Why  then,  should 
Mary  be  idle,  when  Martha  was  so  overtaxed  ? 

And  so  this  busy  woman,  cumbered  about 
much  serving,"  comes  to  the  Messiah  and 
upbraids  Him— so  intent  to  feast  Him  that  she 
forgets  her  manners ! — first  upbraids  Him  for 


A  QUIET  DAY  AT  BETHANY. 


19 


indifference  and  then  arraigns  Mary  for  neglect 
of  duty.  ^^Lord,  dost  Thou  not  care  that  my 
sister  hath  left  me  to  serve  alone?  bid  her 
therefore  that  she  help  me/^ 

Then  said  the  Lord:  Martha,  Martha, 
thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about  many 
things ;  but  one  thing  is  needful,  and  Mary  hath 
chosen  that  good  part  which  shall  not  be  taken 
from  her." 


CHAPTER  II. 


Ube  Ifntertot  %itc  an&  Eitecnalism, 

The  Christian  Life  an  Interior  Union  with  God— 
Forms  of  Externalism— The  Unreality  of  Mere 
Zeal. 

HAT  which  constitutes  a  Christian  life  is  the 
interior  union  of  man's  spirit  with  God, 
and  this  is  effected  by  his  being  made  in  Baptism 
a  member  of  Christ  and  therefore  a  child  of 
God.  In  the  Person  of  Jesus  Christ  there  was  a 
union  of  the  Divine  and  human  natures  in  such 
w^ise  that  all  the  fulness  of  the  life  of  God 
flowed  down  into  His  sinless  and  exceptionally 
generated  human  nature,  to  the  end  that  His 
Divine-human  life  might  flow  into  other  human 
natures  as  from  a  fountain.  The  Incarnation 
was  the  inauguration  of  a  new  human  family, — 
a  fresh  start  for  humanity, — a  more  glorious 
manifestation  of  the  Creator's  love  for  His 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE  AND  EXTERN ALISM. 


21 


creature,  man.  As  by  our  natural  descent,  in 
the  ordinary  process  of  generation,  we  become 
members  of  the  Adamic  family  which  has  lost 
its  union  with  God,  so,  by  the  process  of  regener- 
ation or  new-birth,  we  are  made  members  of 
Christ  (the  second  Adam),  and  in  Him  are 
restored  to  union  with  God ;  and  the  principle  of 
life  eternal  which  dwells  in  Him  in  infinite  fulness 
flows  over  into  us,  and  we  are  made  partakers 
of  His  life.  He  is  the  vine ;  we  are  the  branches. 
The  saps  and  juices  of  the  vine  impart  to  them 
their  vitality.  His  life  is  essential,  inherent; 
theirs  is  derived,  dependent,  conditional.  He 
can  never  die.  Eternal  life  is  for  them  only  who 
by  patient  continuance  in  well-doing  seek  for 
glory,  honor,  and  immortalit^^  The  interior 
spiritual  union  must  be  sustained  and  intensified 
in  the  soul  with  the  aim  of  our  becoming  repro- 
ductions, as  far  as  may  be  in  this  present  life,  of 
the  character  of  Him  by  whom  alone  we  live, 
and  without  whom  we  are  spiritually  dead. 

Since  then  the  very  first  and  essential  idea  of 
a  Christian  is  that  his  life  is  an  interior  union  of 
his  soul  with  the  Lord  from  heaven,  the  second 
Adam,  it  follows  that  his  mind  is  forbidden  to 
look  for  the  essence  of  his  life  in  his  outward 
works;  and  we  thence  infer  that  God  is  much 


22 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


more  concerned  about  the  character  of  the 
worker,  than  He  is  about  the  work.  His  king- 
dom is  advanced  by  what  we  are  rather  than 
by  what  we  do.  This  is  a  truth  which  is  easily 
lost  to  sight.  It  therefore  needs  to  be  rescued 
from  discredit,  and  constantly  restated. 

When  it  is  obscured  by  any  form  of  pharisee- 
ism, — as  for  example,  by  false  theories  of  the 
relation  between  faith  and  works,  as  though 
either  were  of  any  virtue  without  the  other ;  or, 
by  the  fiction  that  righteousness  is  a  cloak  to 
cover  our  nakedness  rather  than  a  cordial 
poured  into  our  hearts  to  neutralize  the  power 
and  cure  the  disease  of  sin ;  or,  by  an  extrava- 
gant emphasis  put  upon  the  proper  and  appoint- 
ed ceremonies  of  religion;  or,  by  excessive 
dependence  upon  the  letter  rather  than  the 
spirit  of  the  records  of  revelation ;  or,  hy  the 
now  popular  idea  of  the  saving  power  of  zeal, 
by  which  exterior  activities  are  made  in  effect  to 
take  precedence  of  the  cultivation  of  interior 
holiness ; — the  penalties  soon  become  apparent, 
and  the  resulting  externalism  not  only  does 
despite  to  the  Spirit  of  grace,  but  seems  for  the 
time  to  arrest  all  capacity  for  spiritual  develop- 
ment in  multitudes  who  profess  and  call  them- 
selves Christians.    Periods  of  serious  declension 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE  AND  EXTERNALISM.  23 


follow,  the  pulse  of  the  Church  is  sluggish  and 
attenuated,  heresy  lifts  its  venomous  head 
unrebuked,  a  low  standard  of  moral  observance 
quickljMisurps  authority,  a  frivolous  spirit  takes 
the  place  of  serious  thought,  and  to  maintain 
the  outward  forms  of  religion,  devices  are 
resorted  to  which  sacrifice  truth,  dignity,  and 
self-respect.  Even  the  ardors  of  that  zeal  which 
has  been  set  up  as  the  sign  and  assurance  of 
salvation,  become  fitful  and  erratic. 

But  the  most  serious  characteristic  of  a  domi- 
nating externalism  in  religion  is  that  it  inspires 
the  individual  heart  with  a  delusive  peace.  The 
false  assurances  of  security  which  are  offered 
satisfy  the  conscience,  and  flatter  the  soul  that 
all  goes  well  with  it,  whereas  that  which  it 
fancies  to  be  inward  peace  is  only  a  state  of 
spiritual  stupor.  Apparently  the  characteristic 
of  the  Christian  of  the  day  is  satisfaction  with 
himself.  He  has  responded  to  the  call  to  be 
ever  doing  something  practical,  in  the  way  of 
labor  or  contribution,  as  the  token  of  his  dis- 
cipleship ;  and  he  feels  himself  justified  in  reach- 
ing comfortable  conclusions  with  regard  to  his 
soul's  state.  Zeal  is  the  new  cloak  which  covers 
the  multitude  of  sins.  He  does  not  wish  to  be 
disturbed  by  rasping  suggestions  of  unreality. 


24 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


He  has  prejudices  against  sounds  from  Sinai. 
He  wishes  not  to  hear  any  voice  that  dares  to 
offend  good  taste  by  suggesting  those  noble,  yet 
solemn,  themes  which  alone  have  power  to 
break  hard  hearts,  and  transform  worldly  lives ^ 
and  make  of  men  and  women  called  Christian, 
faithful  reproducers  of  the  life  of  Christ.  Never- 
theless the  Holy  Ghost  has  His  mission  to  con- 
vince the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of 
a  judgment  to  come;  and  He  will  see  to  it  that 
many  voices  shall  be  lifted,  in  these  perilous 
times,  to  cry  out  against  the  terrible  hazards  of 
externalism,  and  to  startle  those  who  are 
soothed  to  a  sense  of  security  by  the  gospel  of 
optimism,  with  the  cry,  *'Av/ake,  thou  that 
sleepest ! " 

It  is  the  old  revivifying  cry  of  the  ages,  the 
voice  of  the  Giver  of  Life.  It  is  the  voice  which 
cried,  Martha,  Martha and  surely  in  our 
conditions  of  spiritual  lethargy,  it  should  reach 
our  ears.  Surely  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  at 
Bethany  are  entitled  to  a  new  hearing  and 
should  arrest  attention,  arouse  thought,  and 
lead  to  reformation.  There  is  that  in  these 
words  which,  if  allowed  entrance,  will  pierce  to 
the  very  centre  of  the  soul,  and  write  anew  on 
the  conscience  the  old  truth  that  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  within  us. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Ube  ®ne  Ubina  IReeMuU 

Analysis  of  the  Character  of  Martha  and  of  Mary 
—Two  Theories  of  Discipleship. 

♦fTF  we  take  pains  to  study  the  character  of 
Martha  and  of  Mary,  we  shall  find  that 
the  first  needed,  and  the  other  had  found,  the 
truth  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  within.  Nor 
can  we  be  mistaken  ;  for  our  Lord,  who  ^ ^needed 
not  that  any  should  testify  of  man,  for  He  knew 
what  was  in  man,''  did  not  for  one  moment 
hesitate  to  express  Himself  positively  concern- 
ing them.  Martha  was  all  wrong.  And  such 
was  the  Lord's  instant  verdict.  She  who  had 
faulted  her  sister  was  herself  at  fault.  The  place 
of  duty  for  Martha  no  less  than  for  Mary  was 
at  the  feet  of  their  Master,  when  He  spake  con- 
cerning things  of  eternal  moment. 

It  would  appear  to  be  unjust  to  her,  how- 
ever, to  regard  Martha  as  the  product  and 


26 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


representative  of  a  cold  and  selfish  worldliness. 
This  would  be  a  very  superficial  interpretation 
of  the  scene  before  us.  Instead  of  contemplating 
one  sister  as  the  type  of  earth-born  zeal,  and 
one  as  the  type  of  heavenly-mindedness,  we 
should  recognize  both  as  friends  and  disciples  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  who  had  been  admitted  to  His 
confidence  to  such  a  degree  that  when  He  had 
reasons  for  not  exposing  Himself  to  premature 
dangers  in  the  city,  He  sought  and  found  con- 
genial asylum  in  their  home  at  Bethany.  Jesus 
loved  Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus. 
It  is  true  that  He  administered  a  distinct  though 
not  ungentle  rebuke  to  Martha,  while  Mary's 
devotion  won  for  herself  the  expression  of  His 
approval;  but  the  issue  involved  was  not  one  of 
essential  dissimilarity  so  much  as  one  of  pre- 
cedence and  proportion. 

Martha's  conception  of  discipleship  empha- 
sized external  activity  as  its  more  positive  and 
assuring  token,  not  to  be  slighted  or  neglected 
wdth  a  view  to  interior  exercises,  as  if  these  lat- 
ter were  of  primary  value  over  against  so  much 
pressing  practical  duty.  Her  conscience,  taking 
its  cue  from  her  theory  of  precedence,  gave  her 
no  rest  from  cumbering  service,  and  inspired  her 
with  doubt  whether  her  good  sister,  who  seemed 


THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL. 


27 


to  be  more  concerned  to  lift  her  heart  into  com- 
munion with  God  than  to  busy  her  hands  in 
activities  largely  physical  and  external,  was  not 
a  bit  Yisionar\\  Incessant  w^ork  she  thought 
to  be  her  vocation.  There  were  so  many  things 
to  be  done  that  the  days  were  too  short  to 
afford  any  large  surviving  remnant  of  time  and 
strength  for  retirememt,  solitude,  silence, 
thought,  prayer.  It  seemed  also  like  a  robbery 
of  Christ  to  let  prayer  crowd  service  to  the  wall, 
and  to  waste  in  seclusion  and  meditation  the 
precious  hours  that  should  be  sacred  to  philan- 
thropy. She  would  not  venture  to  repudiate 
the  inner  duties,  but  prayer  must  be  only  a 
whisper  let  fall  as  she  rushes  onward  to  accom- 
plish her  stent  of  service. 

Mary,  on  the  other  hand,  was  dominated  by 
a  nobler  theory  of  discipleship.  She  saw  that 
there  is  a  divine  order  and  precedence  of  duties. 
She  perceived  that  service  should  be  permitted 
to  claim  only  a  secondary  allegiance.  There  is 
a  time  for  all  things ;  and  prayer,  or  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  interior  life,  has  the  right  of  preced- 
ence; the  denial  of  which  would  not  only  tend 
to  spiritual  deadness,  but  would  rob  external 
service  of  its  virtue  and  beauty.  In  that  Bethan^^ 
home,  it  was  the  time  for  worship,  not  forw^ork. 


28  THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


for  tranquil  receptivity,  and  not  for  fussy  exteri- 
ority. When  activities  shall  have  become  oppor- 
tune, Mary  will  not  fail  to  be  the  busy  helper  of 
her  busy  sister ;  indeed  it  is  evident  from  Mar- 
tha's complaint,  ''my  sister  hath  left  me  to  serve 
alone,''  that  Mary  had  been  a  busy  helper  until 
the  Lord  entered  their  abode;  but  after  that, 
one  thing  only  was  needful.  Mary  felt  it  in  her 
soul  as  a  triumphant  conviction.  There  was 
something  within  which  told  her  there  was  now 
but  one  thing  to  do  ;4and  so,  with  all  the  cour- 
age of  a  will  that  dared  not  disobey  the  heavenly 
prompting,  and  would  not  when  God's  voice 
said:  ''This  is  the  wa^^:  walk  ye  in  it!"  she 
chose  the  better  part  which  would  never  be 
taken  away  from  her. 

This,  then,  is  the  great  lesson  which  comes  to 
us  in  analyzing  these  types  of  character :  That 
the  cultivation  of  the  inner  life  of  the  soul  after 
the  pattern  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  the  primary 
obligation ;  that  under  no  conceivable  condi- 
tions may  one  seek  to  be  dispensed  from  this 
solemn  duty  on  the  plea  that  outward  activities 
are  imperious  in  their  demand ;  and  further  that 
if  these  are  not  sternly  relegated  to  their  place, 
which  is  a  secondary  and  subordinate  one,  they 
will  paralyze  spiritual  vigor,  foster  pride,  in- 


THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL. 


29 


crease  self-love  and  culminate  in  hypocrisy.  God 
sees  the  unreality  of  an  exterior  life  which  spends 
itself  in  service,  but  draws  back  from  surrender- 
ing the  will  to  Him,  from  purging  the, con- 
science, from  grappling  with  besetting  sins, 
from  acquiring  the  virtue  of  self-contempt  and 
humility,  and  from  the  immense  inner  strain  and 
labor  involved  in  self-subjugation  and  the  real 
abandonment  of  the  conquered  heart  to  God. 
To  work  in  His  name  only  because  zeal  is  the 
prevailing  mode,  or  because  that  is  a  reputable 
method  of  giving  vent  to  the  superabundance 
of  natural  energy;  to  be  very  active  outwardly 
but  inwardly  slothful,  indifferent,  or  disloyal; 
to  cast  out  devils  but  harbor  the  devil  in  one's 
own  heart — what  could  be  morally  more  inex- 
cusable ? 

It  is  not  in  disparagement  of  zeal  that  our 
Lord  insists  upon  the  precedence  of  spiritual 
culture.  After  everything  is  said  for  the  busy 
w^orkers  that  may  be.  He  says  there  is  but  one 
thing  needful.  Let  all  the  active  Marthas 
choose  first  that  good  part,  for  it  shall  not  be 
taken  away  from  them.  Let  the  zealous  helpers 
and  servers  remember  that  our  first  work  is  to 
become  good,  and  our  second  to  do  good. 
Blessed  is  the  man  who,  after  gaining  inward 


30 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


peace  through  long  victories  over  sin,  and  after 
conscious  self-abandonment  to  the  control  of 
the  indwelling  Spirit,  cumbers  himself  with 
much  serving.  He  only  can  serve  without  being 
careful  and  troubled  about  many  things  who 
has  been  taught  of  God  in  the  school  of  solitude, 
silence,  and  meditation.  Interior  peace  is  the 
divinest  stimulus  to  exterior  activity.  When 
'  the  will  of  God  reigns  triumphant  in  the  will 
of  His  child,  God  uses  the  surrendered  powers 
as  He  could  not  have  done  before,  in  blessed 
labors  for  the  good  of  men. 

But  there  is  still  only  one  thing  really  needful 
in  the  sense  of  primary  obligation,  and  that  is 
to  dwell  in  such  relation  to  God  that  nothing 
earthly,  however  allowably  fascinating  in  itself, 
can  attract  us  in  kind  or  degree  as  He  does ;  to 
rest  with  quiet  confidence  in  the  arms  of  His 
providential  care;  to  fear  no  evil  since  He  is 
with  us,  since  He  causes  all  things  to  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  Him ;  to 
love  Him  with  a  love  so  warm  that  our  hearts 
beat  faster  when  we  think  of  Him ;  to  think  of 
Him  continually;  to  be  always  telling  Him  how 
much  we  need  His  presence,  and  always  speak- 
ing our  gratitude  and  showing  forth  His  praise ; 
— this,  all  this  and  more  than  this,  describes  for 


THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL. 


31 


the  Christian  man  his  first  duty,  and  reveals  to 
him  the  end  transcending  all  other  ends  for 
which  God  breathed  into  him  the  breath  of  life. 
May  He  take  away  from  us  all  rest,  all  peace 
and  joy,  until  we  seek  and  find  them  in  Him; 
and  may  He  and  He  Alone  be  the  Wisdom  that 
guides  us,  the  Purity  that  makes  us  pure,  the 
Love  that  transforms  us,  the  Beauty  that  fas- 
cinates us,  the  End  that  controls  us ! 

Those  who  have  had  many  years  of  contact 
with  the  active  workers  of  the  Church,  of  both 
sexes,  have  seen  much  insensibility  to  the  higher 
privileges  of  the  Christian  life,  but  have  also 
discovered  a  conscious  sense  of  incompleteness 
among  many,  and  a  positive  hunger  for  closer 
contact  with  the  invisible  realities.  Of  these, 
some  approximate  the  great  renunciation  in 
their  best  moments,  but  are  drawn  away  again 
to  the  less  heroic  paths  of  exterior  activity 
through  lack  of  a  few  simple  lessons  in  the 
science  of  the  interior  life.  Others  give  them- 
selves no  peace  until  they  have  acquired  that 
knowledge  of  the  ways  of  holiness,  by  w^hich  it 
is  possible  to  live  in  constant  communion  with 
God.  May  our  study  of  the  types  of  disciple- 
ship,  represented  by  Martha  and  Mary,  help  all 
to  choose  the  part  which  Mary  chose ! 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Ube  Sin  of  JExteriorits* 

Martha's  Error  Common — Salvation  by  Zeal — Causes: 
1.  Reaction  from  Protestant  Subjectivity.  2.  False 
Theory  of  Sin. 

S  has  already  been  intimated,  Martha/s 
type  of  character  is  numerously  repre- 
sented among  Christians  in  this  present  day. 
Mary's  type  is  more  rare.  With  due  allowance 
for  the  hiddenness  of  her  life,  the  life  which 
Cometh  not  with  observation,''  she  has  a 
limited  following  as  compared  with  Martha's 
wide  constituency. 

The  consuming  energy  of  the  secular  world 
has  infected  the  Church  with  an  exterior  zeal 
similar  in  kind  and  almost  equal  in  degree. 


THE  SIN  OF  EXTERIORITY. 


33 


Apparently  the  belief  is  general  that  devotion 
to  outward  duty  is  a  sufficient  indication  of 
spiritual  vitality ;  and  the  consciences  of  many 
are  easily  pacified  by  what  are  called  practical 
duties,  while  at  the  same  time  they  are  dull  of 
hearing  when  the  Spirit  of  grace  calls  them  to 
a  more  interior  life.  Cumbered  with  much  serv- 
ing, they  do  not  love  to  be  warned  against  the 
danger  of  so  one-sided  a  theory  of  dis:ipleship. 
Satisfied  with  their  ABC  knowledge  of  God, 
they  do  not  like  to  be  told  that  the  Church  of 
to-day  needs  the  prayers  of  men  who  devote 
themselves  to  prayer,  more  than  the  labors  of 
men  who  devote  themselves  to  labor. 

There  must  be  a  reason  for  this  condition  of 
things.  Christian  people  must  have  been  per- 
suaded by  some  process  of  false  reasoning,  that 
it  is  not  their  primary  duty  to  attain  to  that 
spiritual  development  whereby  men  may,  at 
least,  approximately  represent  the  holiness  of 
their  Lord  in  their  lives;  or  that,  conceding 
the  theoretical  duty,  its  fulfilment  is  to  them 
impracticable  in  consequence  of  the  distrac- 
tions of  life,  the  environment  of  worldliness, 
and  the  legitimate  demands  of  duty  in  that 
state  of  life  unto  which  it  hath  pleased  God  to 
call  them.    There  may  be  some  who  can  walk 


34 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


in  the  paths  of  Mary's  choice,  but  the  Martha 
type  represents  all  that  is  practicable  to  most 
of  us ; — such  is  their  plea. 

It  may  be  admitted  that  it  might  be  more 
easy  to  advance  to  the  higher  walks  of  sanctity 
if  environment  were  more  favorable;  but  when 
God  places  us  where  He  has,  He  expects  us  to 
rise  superior  to  all  the  difficulties  by  which  w^e 
are  environed,  and  not  to  surrender  to  them  in 
the  vain  dream  that  we  would  do  better  if  it 
were  easier  to  do  it.  What  is  this  but  self-will 
pleading  the  orderings  of  God's  providence  as 
an  excuse  for  refusing  the  drawings  of  His 
grace  ?  Our  Saviour  prayed  not  that  we  should 
be  taken  out  of  the  world,  but  that  we  should 
be  kept  from  the  evil.  He  could  have  summoned 
His  apostles  to  His  side,  and  said  to  each  one, 
as  He  said  to  the  penitent  thief,  This  day  thou 
shalt  be  with  Me  in  Paradise;  but  He  saw,  as 
w^e  can  now^  see,  that  it  was  best  for  them, 
for  the  world,  and  for  the  Church,  that  they 
should  not  be  taken  out  of  the  world.  They 
needed  the  wholesome  frictions  of  life,  the  sal- 
utary discipline  of  resisted  temptations,  the  ma- 
turing processes  of  a  life  of  faith  in  invisible 
things,  the  weaning  of  the  spirit  from  the  en- 
croachments of  the  flesh,  the  joy  of  habitual  and 


THE  SIN  OF  EXTERIORITY, 


35 


confirmed  preference  for  God.  And  moreover 
the  world  needed  them  as  examples  of  love, 
patience,  heavenly-mindedness,  kindness,  wis- 
dom, and  consecration. 

Still  further,  the  plea  just  mentioned  reflects 
upon  the  wisdom  of  the  word  of  the  Lord  that 
one  thing  is  needful,  and  contradicts  His  verdict, 
Mary  hath  chosen  the  good  part.'^  God  never 
commands  or  commends  the  impracticable.  It 
is  possible  to  live  very  near  to  God  under  every 
conceivable  environment,  and  what  is  possible  is 
our  highest  duty. 

If,  then,  we  must  acknowledge  that  our 
Lord's  words  are  as  binding  upon  us  as  upon 
Martha  and  Mary,  if  we  must  admit  in  the 
teeth  of  all  our  externalism  and  absorption  in 
service  that  there  is  something  more  moment- 
ous than  these,  and  that  God  never  lays  upon 
us  an  impracticable  obligation,  why  should  any 
man  longer  expose  himself  to  sore  and  serious 
penalties  by  disproportionate  devotion  to  ex- 
ternal activities? 

It  is  a  law  of  our  being  that  a  man's  pre- 
dominant passion  gives  color  and  tone  to  his 
spiritual  state.  When  misguided  Christians 
spend  their  best  energies  upon  outward  duties, 
to  the  disparagement  of  the  primary  obligation 


36 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


of  making  God  their  All  in  all,  it  is  obvious  that 
thei'r  controlling  motive  is  a  low  one,  and  that 
thej  are  themselves  of  the  earth,  earthy,  how- 
ever religious  their  activities  may  seem  to  be; 
and  if  their  mistake  escapes  the  charge  and  pen- 
alty of  practical  opposition  to  God,  it  is  only 
because  they  know  not  what  they  do.  The^^  do 
not  see  w4th  clear  vision  the  divine  order  and 
proportion.  They  have  ears,  but  hear  not  the 
Voice  which  calls  them  to  higher  conceptions  of 
life,  and  nobler  attainments  in  holy  living.  But 
it  must  nevertheless  appear  to  the  mind  which 
will  pause  to  think,  that  if  there  are  two  stand- 
ards, one  instituted  by  the  conventionalism  of  a 
worldly  discipleship,  and  one  by  Him  who  has 
commanded  us  to  be  holy  as  He  is  holy,  then 
conformity  to  the  lower  standard  is  in  eftect  a 
protest  against  the  divinely  estabHshed  order, 
which  it  is  as  unsafe  as  it  is  unwise  to  seek  to 
revolutionize.  Where  do  Christian  men  get  the 
courage  to  do  it  ? 

With  reference  to  the  causes  which  give  rise 
to  this  substitution  of  a  low  type  of  discipleship 
for  that  which  was  fixed  and  set  forth  for  the 
Church  when  the  life  of  Christ  was  made  our 
pattern,  we  may  say,  speaking  generally,  that 
it  grows  out  of  the  strong  earthly  bent  of  the 


THE  SIN  OF  EXTERIORITY. 


37 


soul,  even  where  it  is  under  the  partial  influence 
of  Christian  motives. 

But  there  are  certain  antecedent  causes,  other 
than  this  general  one,  of  which  some  may  be 
specified. 

1.  As  a  characteristic  feature  of  our  current 
discipleship,  this  extreme  partiality  for  external 
service  is  due  to  a  reaction  from  the  abnormal 
subjectivity  of  the  modern  protestant "  move- 
ment. Themselves  a  reaction  (excessive,  as  we 
now  see)  from  the  evils  of  an  extreme  cere- 
monialism, those  theories  of  the  Christian  life 
which  required  believers  to  plunge  into  the 
depths  of  their  consciousness  for  grounds  of 
assurance,  have  held  long  and  powerful  control. 
The3^  taught  men  to  rest  in  feeling  as  the  test  of 
faith,  and  to  identify  a  satisfactory  emotional 
condition  with  the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  The 
frames  and  moods  of  the  soul  w^ere  watched  and 
analyzed,  and  their  fluctuations  were  deemed  to 
be  an  unerring  token  of  Divine  favor  or  dis- 
pleasure, although  the  exaltation  or  depression 
might  be  no  more  than  the  mental  reflex  of 
ph\^sical  conditions.  This  exaggerated  sub- 
jectivity, so  long  prevalent,  has  finalh^  reached 
its  inevitable  reaction.  The  pendulum  has 
swung  from  pious  but  stilted  emotionalism  to 


38 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


external  activity  as  the  badge  and  test  of  dis- 
cipleship.  Instead  of  the  old  inquiry,  what  are 
my  feelings?  the  question  is,  what  am  I  doing? 
And  so  great  is  this  reaction  that  even  those 
types  of  interior  devotion  which  belong  to  the 
long  ages  of  Catholic  histor3^,  and  which  involve 
the  submission  of  the  will  rather  than  the 
excitation  of  the  emotions  as  the  mark  of  God's 
presence  within  us,  do  not  retain  their  power  as 
they  ought.  Zeal  substitutes  its  busy  fingers' 
for  the  clasped  hands  of  worship,  and  regards 
time  spent  in  the  secret  culture  of  the  soul  as 
abstracted  from  the  superior  claims  of  work.'' 
Alas  !  it  is  much  more  easy  to  bear  forward  the 
banner  of  the  Cross  than  to  crucify  the  flesh 
with  the  affections  and  lusts  thereof!  Martha's 
is  the  popular  side,  beyond  peradventure. 

2.  The  indisposition  of  many  to  rise  to 
more  heroic  levels  of  Christian  living  may  be 
traced  to  another  cause, — the  prevalence  of  a 
false  theory  as  to  the  nature  and  turpitude  of 
sin.  Opinions  with  regard  to  sin  depend 
largely  on  the  notions  held  as  to  the  character 
of  God.  The  error  alluded  to  makes  much  of 
the  Fatherhood  of  God,  much  at  least  of  the 
phrase;  and  b3^  this  phrase  it  means  an  ami- 
able, easy-going,   indulgent   Fatherhood.  In 


THE  SIN  OF  EXTERIORITY. 


39 


effect,  it  declares  that  God  does  not  take  critical 
cognizance  of  our  actions  nor  judge  us  closely  as 
to  our  moral  states ;  that  sin  is  after  all  only  a 
harsh  term  used  to  denote  the  little  faults  and 
foibles  of  our  excellent  nature ;  that  we  are  born 
into  an  imperfect  world  without  opportunity  to 
choose  our  lot;  that  we  are  environed  from 
infancy  with  circumstances  that  have  more  to 
do  in  determining  the  kind  of  lives  we  lead  than 
our  own  wills  have;  that  there  is  vastly  more 
misfortune  than  turpitude  in  sin  (if  the  term 
must  be  used!),  and  that  the  Father  will  not 
fail  to  smooth  it  all  over  in  some  benignant 
way  at  last.  We  are  told  that  God  sees  no 
birth-sin  in  a  child,  and  that  Holy  Baptism  is 
only  a  ceremonial  recognition  of  the  child's 
anterior  relation  to  the  Father.  It  is  insisted 
that  sin  has  wrought  no  wrong  against  God 
whereby  He  cannot  longer  deal  with  man  as  in 
a  state  of  innocence :  therefore  no  propitiation 
was  or  is  necessary ;  that  God  needeth  not  to 
be  reconciled  to  man :  therefore  the  Cross  effect- 
ed nothing  upon  God;  that  man  needs  to  be 
reconciled  to  God  only  by  coming  to  himself 

But  this  ''speech  of  Ashdod'^  does  not  rep- 
resent the  teaching  of  our  Lord,  which,  while  it 
reveals  God  as  our  Father,  and  Charit}^  as  the 


40 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


crowning  attribute  of  His  nature,  tells  us  that 
the  Father  is  exquisitely  sensitive  to  sin.  ^'Sin 
is  God's  evil/'  It  is  such  an  unholy  thing  that 
He  would  not  be  God  if  He  hated  it  not.  We 
must  reverse  all  our  conceptions  of  Him  if  w^e 
are  to  think  of  Him  as  looking  with  equal  eye 
upon  those  who  wilfully  disregard  His  wishes, 
and  those  who  so  abhor  sin  that  it  is  the  battle 
of  their  life  to  overcome  it ;  for  if  thus  indifferent 
to  moral  contrasts  He  would  be  less  perfect 
than  we  are  who  cannot  admire  vice  and  despise 
virtue.  Sin  is  the  imperative  contradiction  of 
God,  and  in  its  least  aggravations  it  is  a  menace 
of  our  happiness,  for  the  smallest  sins  are  like 
sparks  which  may  grow  to  conflagrations. 

The  poles  are  not  more  separate  than  these 
interpretations  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God. 
Expressed  in  dogmatics  and  ethics,  two  contra- 
dictory religions  result,  and  two  contradictory 
theories  of  the  spiritual  life.  They  cannot  dwell 
together  in  harmonious  relations.  In  the  pro- 
cess of  time  it  must  become  evident  that  this 
smooth  theology  is  another  than  that  which 
the  Lord  taught,  as  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount.  Its  idea  of  Christ  is  not  that  of  the 
Apostles,  and  when  it  comes  fully  to  its  growth, 
it  will  reject  the  Creeds  and  the  Church,  the 


THE  SIN  OF  EXTERIORITY. 


41 


Word  and  the  Ministry,  the  Sacraments,  the 
Atonement,  and  the  Incarnation,  and  become  in 
flower  and  fruit  what  it  is  now  in  seed:  a 
natural  religion,  a  departure  from  the  second 
Adam,  and  a  reversion  to  the  first,  a  preference 
for  the  family  of  a  progenitor  who  failed  over 
that  of  one  who  could  not  fail.  It  is  a  sad 
spectacle  to  see  children  of  the  second  Adam 
ignoring  their  spiritual  transplantation,  trust- 
ing themselves  to  the  demonstrated  weakness 
of  the  old  Adamic  arm  ;  sad  indeed  to  see  them 
cast  away  the  armour  and  the  shield,  the  sword 
and  the  helmet,  with  which  God  has  armed 
them,  and  rush  forth  to  do  battle  against  the 
fierce  foes  of  the  soul,  with  nothing  but  Adam's 
dulled  and  broken  sword  in  their  hands;  sad, 
thrice  sad,  to  see  priests  ready  to  barter  their 
supernatural  birthright  for  a  mess  of  nature's 
pottage. 

If  God  does  not  look  upon  sin  as  inherently 
abominable,  there  is  no  reason  why  man  should 
do  so.  The  publican's  cry  and  the  penitent 
thief's  prayer  have  no  meaning,  and  self-accusa- 
tion and  humble  repentance  and  all  that  mjs- 
tery  of  abjection  which  holy  men  experience, 
and  which  have  been  accounted  for  b^^  their 
ntimacy  with  the  eternal  Light  in  whose  blaze 


42 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


the  most  venial  fault  seems  black,  are  only  pious 
delusions.  In  this  beautiful  world,  of  which 
humanity  is  the  crown  and  glory,  let  the  new 
gospel  of  optimism  march  to  victory !  Let 
others  enjoy  a  monopoly  of  the  dream  called 
holiness,  and  the  illusions  of  an  interior  life;  let 
them  shed  their  tears  and  beat  their  breasts  ;  let 
them  w^aste  their  strength  in  disciplines  and 
fastings;  let  them  retreat  to  secret  places  and 
spend  silent  hours  in  meditation  and  commun- 
ion ;  as  for  us,  laborare  est  orare  ! 

This  is  the  polite  and  pestilent  phariseeism 
which  infects  many  Christian  people  without 
their  being  conscious  of  the  degeneration,  and 
which  paralyzes  their  occasional  struggles  after 
a  closer  walk  with  God.  The  first  thing  which 
they  need  to  hear  is  the  danger  of  it ;  for  it  must 
be  a  dangerous  thing  to  neglect  the  paramount 
duties  of  spiritual  purification,  through  an 
excess  of  devotion  to  external  activities.  It  is 
a  sin  which  will  crush  them  if  they  do  not  crush 
it.  For  the  love  of  God  is  the  first  and  great 
commandment,  and  the  other  law,  if  like  unto 
it,  is  also  secondary  to  it,  the  love  of  our 
neighbor. 


CHAPTER  V. 


XTbe  Duti5  of  iPerfecUcm 

A  Third  Cause:    Wrong  View  of  the  Aim  of  Life— 

LUKE-WARMNESS  AND   ITS   DANGERS — ThE  ACQUISITION 

OF  Relative  Perfection. 

^1  NOTHER  reason  for  the  prevalent  external- 
ism  of  Christian  people  maybe  mentioned. 
The\^  seem  to  have  become  blind  to  the  primary 
end  of  man  and  of  his  life  upon  the  earth.  These 
nimble  sailors  mount  aloft  fearlessly,  handle  the 
sails  dexterously,  discharge  most  zealously  every 
duty  above  and  below — never  was  there  finer 
seamanship;  but  the  compass  seems  to  be 
broken  and  the  pole-star  eclipsed. 

The  ultimate  reason  why  any  created  thing 
exists  cannot  be  found  in  itself.  One  must  pass 
beyond  it,  beyond  every  other  created  thing, 
and  follow  on,  beyond  and  above,  until  the 


44 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


mind  reaches  Him  who  created  all.  Many  sec- 
ondary ends  may  be  specified,  but  all  converge 
upon  the  one  infinite  motive  of  human  life.  All 
things  come  of  Him  as  first  cause,  and  return  to 
Him  as  final  cause. 

Therefore  the  primary  end  of  man  is  God, 
who  made  him  for  Himself.  We  can  perceive  in 
ourselves  as  individuals  and  as  members  of  a 
vast  family  of  one  blood,  reasons  why  we  exist 
and  why  existence  is  so  precious  to  us ;  but  we 
must  admit  these  to  be  secondary.  The 
thoughtful  nature  soars  above  them,  without 
effort  or  repugnance,  finding  no  resting  place 
until  its  wings  are  folded  in  the  presence  of  the 
eternal  Creator. 

Since,  then,  the  ultimate  reason  for  our 
existence  is  in  God,  the  primary  motive  of  our 
Hfe  should  be  God.  The  prayer  is  often  on  our 
lips — '^that  we  may  hereafter  live  a  godly, 
righteous,  and  sober  life,  to  the  glory  of  Thy 
Holy  Name.''  ^'The  heavens  declare  the  glory 
of  God  and  the  firmament  showeth  His  handi- 
work." *'Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts; 
the  whole  earth  is  full  of  His  glory."  Much 
more  must  man  created  in  His  image,  find  his 
end  in  his  being  or  becoming  a  contributor  to 
the  universal  doxology. 


THE  DUTY  OF  PERFECTION. 


45 


It  is,  then,  a  perversion  of  our  end,  and  a 
contradiction  of  the  order  of  God,  if  we  allow 
ourselves  to  be  actuated  by  motives  that  get 
their  primary  impulse  in  ourselves  or  in  our 
fellow  beings. 

The  results  condemn  it.  For  a  stream  will 
not  rise  higher  than  its  source.  There  can  be  no 
'high-souled  and  heroic  devotion  to  our  personal 
interests,  or  to  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  unless  we  are  primarily  devoted  to  God. 
Activity  on  a  lower  basis  of  motive  brings  the 
inevitable  penalty.  An  excess  of  external 
activity  dries  up  the  fountains  of  interior  devo- 
tion to  Him,  and  produces  a  tepid  spirituality^ 
upon  which  we  are  taught  He  looks  with  abhor- 
rence, would  thou  wert  cold  or  hot.  So 
then  because  thou  art  lukewarm  and  neither 
cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spue  thee  out  of  My  mouth.'! 
''I  would  thou  wert  cold  or  hot," — does  God 
mean  that  He  would  prefer  His  child  to  be  an 
abandoned  sinner,  a  slave  of  passion  or  drink,  a 
secret  unbeliever  ?  Hardly  that ;  but  it  must  be 
that  He  sees  fewer  obstacles  in  the  way  of  his 
salvation  than  of  the  lukewarm  disciple's.  The 
latter  is  good  and  to  spare  according  to  his  own 
standard;  he  is  quite  satisfied  with  himself;  his 
praises  are  sung  and  his  abounding  activities 


46 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


are  appreciated  by  the  half-worldly  devotees  of 
current  religionism.  It  is  a  hard  task  to  cure 
one  who  thinks  he  is  whole  and  needs  not  a 
physician.  Interior  lukewarmness  is  his  ideal 
and  he  would  have  all  men  conform  to  his 
standard.  What  a  spectacle  to  astonish  angels 
and  men !  A  lukewarm  inner  life,  and  every- 
thing that  is  evil  in  the  world  not  lukewarm ! 
The  adversary,  hot  and  panting  in  his  chase  for 
souls,  shames  such  a  discipleship.  Lust,  red- 
lipped  with  hot  passion,  shouts  its  disgrace. 
Drunkenness,  pawning  its  rags  to  buy  another 
draught  of  poison,  looks  down  upon  it.  Error- 
ists,  spending  themselves  to  draw  souls  away 
from  the  Faith,  laugh  at  such  champions.  There 
is  no  lukewarm  w^orld,  no  lukewarm  flesh,  no 
lukewarm  devil,  but  alas!  many  lukewarm 
Christians  excusing  themselves  from  the  feet  of 
Jesus  because  His  service  is  more  to  be  valued 
than  Himself.  Such  a  state  is  one  of  awful 
hazards,  for  behind  him  who  will  not  seek  first 
the  kingdom  of  God,  which  *'is  within  3^ou,'' 
lurks  the  possibility  of  perdition.  Such  an  one 
may  by  God^s  mercy  experience  conversion ;  or 
he  may  lapse  from  his  exterior  zeal  into  dis- 
graceful sin ;  or  he  may  persist  in  his  lukewarm- 
ness, and  what  then?    ''I  will  spue  thee  out  of 


THE  DUTY  OF  PERFECTION. 


47 


My  mouth;  because  thou  sayest,  I  am  rich,  and 
increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing ; 
and  knowest  not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and 
miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked." 

There  is  no  question  which  a  Christian  man 
should  ask  himself  miore  frequently  than  this : 
Unto  what  end  am  I  numbered  among  the  child- 
ren of  God  ?  Unto  what  finality  does  this  life 
I  am  living  here  on  the  earth  tend?  And  how 
influential  upon  my  character  should  that  ulti- 
mate end  be?  We  all  agree  that  he  should  aim 
high,  and  that  if  his  aim  be  not  higher  than  a 
worldly  life,  a  selfish  life,  a  sensual  life,  he  has 
not  left  himself  any  claim  or  right  to  be 
numbered  with  the  disciples  of  Christ.  We  all 
agree  that  God  has  called  him  to  a  nobler 
endeavor  than  that  of  conforming  to  the  con-^ 
ventional  discipleship  of  the  day,  the  compro- 
mise standard  which  clothes  its  worldliness  in  a 
thin  gauze  of  religionism.  The  great  God  in 
making  Himself  his  end  has  ordained  that  he 
should  seek  to  become  like  Him.  The  one  domi- 
nant aim  of  the  Christian  life  must  be  perfection 
of  character  to  the  extent  of  the  utter  abolition 
in  the  soul  of  the  moral  effects  of  sin,  so  that 
,  the  soul  being  made  entirely  pure  and  being 
newly  created  in  the  image  of  God,  shall  finall3% 


48 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


as  the  ultimate  point  of  attainment,  be  fitted 
for  His  presence  forever.  The  will  of  God  con- 
templates a  discipleship  which  shall  distinctly 
aim  day  by  day  to  reproduce  the  life  of  Christ. 
Or,  in  other  words,  each  man's  first  duty  is 
character-building  after  the  Divine  model,  which 
is  a  perfect  one ;  Who  is  the  image  of  the  invis- 
ible God.''  Perfection  of  character,  then,  is  the 
Christian  aim,  and  God  has  not  called  us  to  a 
lower  end  than  Himself.  Terrible,  therefore, 
must  be  his  sin  who  lives  with  reference  to  an 
imperfect  ideal, — a  wretched  piece  of  dirty  pot- 
tery, instead  of  the  white  image  of  Christ. 

There  are  many  false  notions  of  perfection. 
The  old  and  tried  doctrine  is  that  as  we  were 
made  for  God  our  whole  life  must  tend  towards 
God.  Ultimate  perfection  can  be  arrived  at 
only  when  we  shall  have  become  like  God.  We 
cannot  attain  this  in  the  present  life,  but  we 
shall  never  attain  it  in  any  life  unless  we  pres- 
ently aim  at  it.  Finis  est  principium^^^  said  S. 
Thomas  (the  end  is  the  beginning),  that  is,  the 
end  which  is  absolute  perfection  must  govern  us 
in  seeking  that  relative  perfection  which  is  now 
practical.  We  know  that  God  will  not  permit 
imperfect  souls  to  enter  His  presence ;  if  He 
should  they  could  not  endure  the  splendors  of 


THE  DUTY  OF  PERFECTION. 


49 


His  ineffable  holiness ;  and  yet,  we  are  all  hoping 
to  enter  His  presence!  Well,  then,  we  must  at 
once  and  always  seek  perfection  at  any  price ;  in 
thought,  word  and  deed,  above  all  in  our 
interior  nature,  it  must  be  our  life's  business  to 
tend  towards  absolute  perfection.  If  we  will 
only  lay  aside  the  erroneous  conception  of 
heaven  that  it  is  to  be  the  final  reward  of  our 
imperfection,  and  think  of  it  as  the  logical 
point  of  arrival  of  a  soul  which  has  long  labored 
to  be  fitted  for  that  pure  environment;  if  we 
w^ill  think  of  it  not  as  a  gift  of  mercy  to  the 
sinner,  but  as  the  congenial  atmosphere  of  one 
who  has  drank  to  the  full  of  mercy's  fountains 
of  grace  ere  it  is  reached,  we  shall  be  more 
influenced  by  our  end.  Without  holiness," 
(that  is  without  character  builded  up  in  the 
likeness  of  Christ),  ^*no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord." 

Relative  perfection,  or  that  degree  of  perfec- 
tion which  is  practicable  in  the  present  life,  is 
internal  and  external. 

External  perfection  is  conduct  corresponding 
with  the  law  of  God  and  the  precepts  of  the 
Church.  It  exhibits  attachment  to  the  means 
of  grace,  neglects  no  known  dut\%  loves  the 
gates  of  Zion,  busies  its  hands  in  serving  others, 


50 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


and  spreading  the  kingdom  wherever  it  can. 
But  external  tokens  of  hohness  are  delusive  and 
soul-destroying,  unless  they  flow  from,  represent, 
and  express  internal  perfection.  There  is  a 
witchery  of  self-deception  in  the  human  heart 
even  when  that  heart  is  touched  with  grace, 
which  persuades  us  to  accept  outward  decencies 
and  activities  and  observances  as  substitutes 
for  interior  love  and  loyalt3^  Painstaking  mo- 
ralities, zealous  labors,  conscientious  routines 
of  duty,  are  nothing  worth  by  themselves,  as 
helps  to  character  building.  Excess  of  activity 
is  often  the  cloak  that  conceals  lack  of  love. 

Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and 
of  angels,  and  have  not  charit}^,  I  am  become 
as  sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling  cymbal."  It  is, 
therefore,  evident  that  relative  perfection,  or  the 
attainment  of  all  that  is  possible  in  this  life,  has 
its  rise  in  the  secret  depths  of  the  spirit.  **The 
kingdom  of  God  is  within  3^ou."  The  Holy 
Spirit  has  chosen  our  spirit  as  the  point  of  His 
contact  with  us,  from  our  baptism  onward,  and 
it  is  His  voice  which  whispers  when  in  our 
hearts  we  hunger  to  rise  above  the  level  of 
external  duty  and  know  more  of  God.  He  is 
our  guide  when  we  seek  Him,  and  when  we  seek 
Him  He  seeks  us.    He  wants  us.    He  can  do 


THE  DUTY  OF  PERFECTION. 


51 


without  our  poor  little  activities,  what  we  call 
our  work,  our  zeal,  our  enthusiasm.  He  wants 
us.  '^My  son,  give  Me  thine  heart/^  In  a 
thousand  ways  He  could  make  up  the  loss  to 
the  Church  if  you  or  I  should  never  lift  hand 
again  in  the  wa\^  of  service;  but  the  love  of 
a  milHon  souls  would  not  compensate  Him  for 
the  loss  of  your  love  or  mine.  He  made  us  to 
the  end  that  we  may  love  Him  supremel3^  The 
loss  of  th^  love  of  one  soul  is  to  Him  a  distinct, 
irreparable  loss.  Love  is  more  to  Him  than 
service,  and  more  to  the  Church ;  for  it  is  char- 
acter that  tells,  rather  than  labor.  Zealous 
activities  can  make  a  great  ^^hurly-burly''  in 
the  world,  but  power  belongs  only  to  the  quiet 
influence  of  lives  that  are  inwardly  consecrated 
to  God,  and  that  die  daily  to  self  and  sin. 

There  is  a  great  deal  that  goes  by  the  name 
of  ''church  work"  which  God  would  not  miss  if 
it  were  to  cease, — all  that  is  done  selfishly  or 
self-righteously,  from  social  and  secular  motives, 
because  it  is  the  fashion,  or  because  nature  seeks 
a  vent  for  its  buoyant  energies.  Alas!  it  is 
easier  to  show  zeal  than  to  feel  love,  than  to 
practise  self-denial  or  lead  a  life  of  hidden  com- 
munion with  God  ;— easier  to  do  works  that  are 
seen  of  men  than  to  cultivate  secret  penitence. 


52 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


My  son,  give  Me  thine  heart.''  It  is  not  your 
activities  that  I  want.  Above  all  I  do  notv^ant 
yonr  service  without  your  heart.  I  want  you, 
I  want  your  love.  This  is  the  first  and  great 
commandment.  Obey  that,  and  the  second, 
which  is  like  unto  it,  will  never  be  dishonored. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


XTbe  Strivfnos  of  tbe  Spirit. 

Conventional  Discipleship  —  The  Life  of  our  Lord  — 
The  Higher  Type  — Visitations  from  Above  — How 
Received— Aspirations— Resolutions— Perseverance. 

^T'HE  truths  revealed  to  us  as  we  behold  and 
hear  what  is  to  be  heard  and  seen  in  the 
house  of  Martha  and  Mary  at  Bethan^^  are, 
that  there  is  a  lower  stage  of  the  Christian  life, 
of  which  external  obedience  and  active  service 
are  the  characteristic  features;  and  that  there 
is  a  higher  stage  characterized  by  personal  aim 
after  inward  conformity  to  the  will  of  God,  as  a 
duty  to  which  all  external  service  should  bear  a 
secondar}^  and  consequential  relation.  For,  if 
the  real  life  of  a  man  is  the  life  of  his  soul,  soul- 
culture  is  his  chief  obligation. 

Two  opposing  forces  are  at  work  in  every 
Christian  soul.    When  the  earthh'  force  gains 


54 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


commanding  power,  the  product  is  the  Martha 
type  of  character.  But  many  of  these  Marthas 
»are  restless,  dissatisfied,  unhappy,  conscious  of 
an  aching  void  within,  just  because  they  have 
settled  down  to  the  conventional  discipleship  of 
the  times.  There  is  much  natural  zeal  and 
many  active  virtues,  but  how  few  live  the  life  of 
the  Crucified  !  How  few  seek  to  reproduce  Him 
in  their  daily  walk!  And  yet  we  all  acknowl- 
edge that  the  only  worthy  aim  of  a  true  follower 
of  Christ  is  to  become  like  Him  in  all  His  imit- 
able  perfections. 

Why  is  it  that  with  all  the  current  study  of 
the  Scriptures  and  the  superabundance  of  exhor- 
tation, there  is  so  much  ignorance  of  the  char- 
acter of  Christ?  Is  it  because  men  have  been 
taught  to  look  too  exclusively  upon  the  dead 
Christ?  We  are  indeed  reconciled  to  God  by 
His  death,  but  the  other  side  of  the  Christian 
gospel  is  that  we  are  saved  by  His  life."  And 
what  a  wonderful  life  it  was  !  Let  us  reverently 
contemplate  some  of  its  features  : 

1.  He  led  an  interior  rather  than  an  exterior 
life.  This  was  the  one  thing  needful  to  Him, 
and  it  is  that  which  He  commends  to  all 
the  Marthas  who  seek  to  be  dispensed  from  it 
because  of  imperious  outward  duties.    The  cul- 


THE  STRIVINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


55 


ture  of  the  soul  must  have  precedence  over  every 
other  duty.  Zeal  and  service  and  missionary 
ardor  are  healthful  only  when  they  fall  into  line 
under  the  headship  of  interior  devotion  to  and 
communion  with  God.  He  was  faithful  to  all 
the  requirements  of  the  Church,  but  the  Church 
first  touched  Him  in  the  secret  depths  of  the 
soul.  He  went  up  to  the  temple  to  pray,  but 
the  love  of  prayer  made  a  temple  of  the  moun- 
tain side  or  the  garden's  shades.  His  whole 
interior  being  was  aflame  with  pure  devotion. 

2.  His  will  was  iron  to  do  the  Father's  will. 
God  only  was  the  first  object  of  His  thoughts 
and  feelings,  the  sole  rule  of  His  conduct;  and 
so  pure  was  His  intention,  so  boundless  His 
charity,  so  absolute  His  self-abandonment  to  all 
that  the  Father  did  and  required  Him  to  do, 
that  He  came  to  be  known  as  sinless,  and  the 
very  judge  who  passed  upon  His  fate  was 
forced  to  exclaim:  ''I  find  no  fault  in  this 
Man."  But  to  this  was  added  a  voice  from 
Heaven  saying:  *^This  is  My  beloved  Son  in 
whom  I  am  well  pleased."  No  wonder,  for  the 
dearest  thing  in  life  to  Jesus  Christ  was  the 
Father's  will. 

3.  His  life  was  one  of  constant  communion 
with  the  Father,  by  which  we  mean  that  think- 


56 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


ing  of  God  had  honored  precedence  of  everx^ 
thought.  He  thought  in  God  when  He  thought 
of  other  things.  He  Hterally  prayed  without 
ceasing/'  in  this,  that  the  spirit  of  pra^^er  never 
departed  from  Him.  He  had  His  external 
business,  and  it  was  daily  His  duty  to  meet  and 
talk  with  others ;  but  nothing  so  absorbed  His 
attention  that  His  conscious  spirit  ceased  to 
point  like  the  compass  to  the  pole-star  in  the 
heavens. 

4.  He  never  lost  the  balance  of  His  soul  in 
the  midst  of  trials  and  temptations.  How 
awful  was  His  earnestness  when  He  and  His 
passion  met  face  to  face!  ^'I  have  set  My  face 
like  a  flint.''  He  took  up  into  Himself  a  human- 
ity which  displayed  the  utmost  possible  heroism 
in  suffering,  the  utmost  courage,  fearlessness, 
determination  and  valor.  If  in  the  supreme 
hour,  when  for  our  sakes  He  suffered  the  agony 
of  Gethsemane,  He  exclaimed,  ^'Father,  if  it  be 
possible  let  this  cup  pass  from  Me,"  His  own 
will  gave  answer  to  His  physical  shrinking. 

Nevertheless  not  My  will  but  Thine  be  done." 

5.  In  the  hour  of  temptation  He  was  a  rock 
of  resistance.  He  overcame  even  when  evil  pre- 
sented itself  as  a  seeming  good.  With  all  the 
might  of  a  pure  soul  He  bore  down  upon  the 


THE  STRIVINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


57 


adversary  and  drove  him  crushed  and  broken 
from  the  field. 

6.  Nothing  could  impair  the  perfection  of 
His  happiness.  It  was  a  continual  joy  to  do  the 
work  He  came  to  do.  The  sorest  pains,  the 
contumelies  heaped  upon  Him,  the  defection  of 
friends,  the  revilings  of  enemies,  did  not  agitate 
the  inner  serenity  of  His  soul.  So  full  of  bliss 
was  His  heart  that  He  could  impart  its  over- 
flow to  others.  These  things  have  I  spoken 
unto  you  that  My  joy  might  remain  in  you,  and 
that  your  joy  might  be  full.'' 

Why  is  it  that  we  are  so  read^^  to  expend  our 
very  vitality  in  the  achievement  of  earthh^  pur- 
poses, and  yet  so  devoid  of  ambition  to  follow 
this  wonderful  Example  and  become  all  that  we 
may  as  spiritual  men?  Is  it  not  evident  that 
we  need  to  be  touched  by  some  awful  stimulus 
from  above? 

When  one  considers  how  attractive  this  inner 
life  is,  how  it  is  commanded  of  God,  how  in  its 
essence  it  is  heaven  itself,  and  has  only  to  expand 
to  its  own  perfection  to  become  heaven  forever 
(for  it  shall  never  be  taken  awa^^),  and  how 
practicable  it  is, — na\^,  how  much  more  easy  it  is 
to  aim  at  perfection  than  to  satisfy  one's  con- 
science with  imperfection — when  one  considers 


58 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


all  this  he  must  wonder  that  so  many  draw 
back  from  the  campaigns  and  battlefields  of  the 
sotil  that  lie  between  us  and  that  day  of  victory 
when  self-love  shall  be  held  in  subjection,  the 
passions  mortified,  the  tongue  bridled,  self-will 
bound  in  chains,  the  conscience  purged,  every 
infirmity  mastered,  and  Christ  formed  within, 
the  hope  of  glory. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  force  from  above  when 
humbly  rec^ved  and  permitted  to  dominate  the 
will  without  resistance  or  reserve,  results  in  the 
character  of  which  Mary  was  a  lovely  example. 
It  is  the  restoration  of  the  souPs  union  with 
God.  And  this  interior  union  of  the  human 
spirit  with  God  should  be  the  primary  aim  and 
obligation  of  every  Christian  life. 

For  this  reason  God  will  not  suffer  earthly 
forces  to  assail  the  soul  without  bringing 
adverse  forces  to  bear.  Martha  is  not  aban- 
doned to  her  delusion.  With  what  warning 
accents  does  the  Lord  repeat  her  name,  Mar- 
tha, Martha, for  He -would  not  leave  her  to 
herself.  Nor  does  He  withhold  His  voice  from 
any  conscience.  To  most  of  us  there  come 
moments  of  Divine  visitation  w^hen  the  Holy 
Spirit  tells  of  an  inner  life  of  heretofore  unim- 
agined  possibilities.    For  God  will  not,  without 


THE  STRIVINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


59 


protest,  suffer  His  children  to  spend  themselves 
upon  outward  tasks  and  drudgeries.  He  has 
given  them  hearts  to  love  Him,  tongues  to 
praise  Him,  spirits  to  commune  with  Him, 
minds  to  meditate  upon  Him,  as  well  as  hands 
to  work  for  Him.  He  would  have  them  do  all 
such  good  works  as  He  has  prepared  for  them 
to  walk  in,  but  He  would  teach  them  that 
this  is  the  work  of  God  that  3^e  believe  on  Him 
whom  He  hath  vSent.^'  ^ 

It  is  in  such  moments  as  these  that  men  grow 
weary  of  themselves,  and  sick  to  think  how  vast 
the  distance  between  their  actual  and  their  pos- 
sible; it  is  then  that  they  wonder  how  they  could 
have  congratulated  themselves  upon  the  posses- 
sion of  qualities  which  they  now  see  are  wanting 
in  them  ;  it  is  then  that  their  pride  over  some 
display  of  superficial  zeal  wilts  into  self-con- 
tempt, and  they  wonder  at  the  infinite  patience 
which  has  borne  with  their  blindness  so  long;  it 
is  then  that  they  exclaim  : 

**  0  for  a  man  to  arise  in  me, 

That  the  man  I  am  may  cease  to  be." 

God  forbid  that  we  fail  to  regard  these  Divine 
visitations  as  critical  moments  in  our  lives! 
They  are  intended  to  reveal  the  real  condition 


60 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


of  the  soul.  They  show  how  cumbersome  cares 
and  secondary  duties  are  really  crowding  God 
from  His  throne  within,  and  they  suggest 
desires  after  better  things. 

The  one  thing  needful  is  to  nurse  and  foster 
such  desires  until  the  spark  grows  to  a  flame. 
Who  are  we  that  we  should  be  disobedient  unto 
the  heavenly  vision  ?  Why  should  we  draw  back 
from  the  approaches  of  such  faithful  love?  Ad- 
vance is  practicable.  Within  reach  (but  never 
reached  by  passive  waiting)  are  the  life  of  self- 
abandonment  to  God,  of  repose  in  God,  of  cease- 
less prayer  to  God,  the  life  of  spiritual  humility 
and  deadness  to  sense  pleasures;  and  how  dare 
we  shrink  from  these  attainable  blessings  under 
the  plea  that  they  are  not  for  us,  but  for  some 
h\^pothetical  coterie  of  heaven's  favorites  whom 
men  call  ''the  saints?"  Thankful  should  we  be 
that  the  Holy  One  plants  these  desires  within 
us.  Desire,  nourished,  strengthened,  watched 
over  day  by  da^^,  grows  like  a  seed  well  watered 
and  sunned ;  like  a  seed  also  it  ma^^  be  buried 
be^^ond  resurrection,  so  that  what  was  unto 
life  shall  only  make  corruption  more  corrupt. 
It  is  of  the  very  nature  of  God's  grace  in  the 
sacraments  to  reveal  His  spiritual  beauty,  and 
thus  to  inspire  within  our  hearts  a  desire  for 


THE  STRIVINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT, 


61 


closer  union  with  Him.  To  mistake  these 
sacred  promptings  for  a  sentiment  or  a  whisper 
from  nature  is  to  grieve  the  Spirit  of  God. 
When  He  comes  beneath  our  roof  let  us  sit  at 
His  feet  and  drink  in  His  words  as  Mary  did, 
rather  than  cling  to  our  activities  w4th  satisfied 
hearts. 

It  is  a  critical  moment  in  the  soul's  history  ; 
for  the  Divine  visitation  may  pass  from  us 
because  unheeded ;  or,  it  may  lead  on  to  the 
fruition  of  these  desires  by  the  formation  of  a 
firm  and  deliberate  resolution  to  turn  the  whole 
current  of  life  in  the  direction  which  they  indi- 
cate. It  will  not  answer  to  rest  content  with 
longings.  God's  approaches  are  addressed  to 
the  will.  The  hungry  soul  cannot  feed  upon  its 
desire  for  food,  but  must  resolve  to  eat  of  the 
pure  white  manna  that  has  dropped  from 
heaven.  Think  of  the  power  of  a  timely  act  of 
the  will!  S.  Paul  was  ^^not  disobedient  to  the 
heavenly  vision''  when  a  light  from  heaven 
above  the  brightness  of  the  sun  shone  round 
about  him,  and  the  voice  of  Jesus  said,  '^Saul, 
Saul."  The  Blessed  Virgin's  will, — how  quickly 
it  flashed  back  her  reply  to  the  angel  of  the  An- 
nunciation, ''Be  it  unto  me  according  to  thy 
word!'^  What  results  followed  the  prodigal 


62 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


son's  resolve,  will  arise  and  go  to  my  fa- 
ther!" A  strong  purpose  formed  and  strongly 
carried  into  effect  is  the  first  duty.  We  shall 
not  get  out  of  ourselves  until  we  determine  to 
do  it. 

But  as  desires  are  only  a  lovely  dream  until 
the}^  awaken  and  become  resolutions,  resolu- 
tions are  no  more  than  a  waking  dream  unless 
they  are  specific.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  propose, 
in  a  certain  general  sense,  to  follow  the  example 
of  Mary  rather  than  that  of  Martha,  and  to 
aspire  after  something  very  beautiful  and  holy, 
but  of  which  no  definite  conception  has  been 
formed.  Such  generous  generalities  are  hiding- 
places  of  self-deceit.  He  who  would  follow  the 
call  of  God  must  avoid  all  subterfuges.  The 
end  of  desire  and  resolve  is  not  a  vague  inclina- 
tion in  the  direction  of  goodness.  Our  sins  are 
the  most  positive  and  clear-cut  entities  in  the 
world.  There  is  nothing  indefinite  in  the  activi- 
ties that  are  now  usurping  the  place  that  of 
right  belongs  to  God.  It  follows,  therefore, 
that  a  determination  to  turn  out  the  usurper 
must  particularize  its  proposed  acts  with  honest 
precision.  The  will  must  resolve  to  begin  by 
attacking  specific  sins,  saying  for  example: 
This  day  I  will  curb  the  appetite  which  has  got 


THE  STRIVINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


63 


despotic  control  over  me,  and  if  I  fail  I  will 
punish  niA^self  b^^  denying  m^^self  something 
which  I  shall  miss ;  or,  I  w411  attack  and  try  to 
tame  my  temper;  or,  to-morrow,  no  stress  of 
business  shall  rob  me  of  a  definite  time  for 
pra3'er;  or,  firmly  do  I  vow  to  God  that  on 
next  Saturda^^  I  will  spend  fifteen  minutes,  by 
the  clock,  in  preparation  for  the  next  da^^'s 
Holy  Eucharist;  or,  this  tongue  shall  not  put 
into  words  the  unkind  thoughts  which  my 
mind  harbors  against  one  whom  I  do  not  like. 
These  illustrations  will  suffice  to  show  how  one 
who  passes  from  desires  to  resolutions  can 
corner  himself  by  specific  engagements,  Other- 
w^ise  his  lofty  purposes  will  dissolve  and  disap- 
pear. 

But  perseverance  is  of  the  very  essence  of  a 
fixed  and  sturdy  purpose.  In  a  matter  which 
involves  eternal  issues,  one  ought  not  to  trifle 
with  God  by  offering  to  Him  fitful  impulses  that 
exhaust  themselves  in  resolving.  Resolution 
must  be  a  constant  and  self-repeating  quantity, 
in  order  to  fortify  our  minds  against  the  dis- 
couragement which  repeated  failures  to  fulfil 
our  purposes  will  suggest,  but  still  more  to 
enable  us  to  prevent  such  failures.  Frequent 
reiteration  of  the  same  act  creates  a  habit. 


64 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


Habit  if  not  resisted  becomes  necessity'^  (S. 
Augustine),  and  this  is  as  true  of  the  spirit  as  of 
the  mind  or  the  body.  Our  acts  make  our 
habits,  and  we  are  what  our  habits  are.  Mar- 
tha illustrates  a  life-time  of  acts  crystalized  into 
the  habit  of  being  careful  and  troubled  about 
many  things.  Mary's  tranquil  demeanor  and 
simplicity  of  desire  show  her  to  have  acquired 
the  habit  of  concentrating  the  soul  on  God 
without  distraction. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Necessity  for  Guidance  — Self-Abandonment  to  God 
AND  His  Will— The  Act  Becomes  the  Habit. 

UT  to  form  resolutions  is  to  put  on  the 
armour  only;  how  shall  the  soldier  of  an 
aroused  faith  handle  his  weapons?  how  fight 
wisely?  how  be  guided  and  generaled  in  this 
serious  conflict  ?  For  guidance  is  indispensable ; 
we  have  no  resources  in  ourselves  with  which 
to  begin  this  '^newness  of  life.'^  "He  who 
would  be  his  own  teacher  becomes  the  pupil  of 
a  fool''  (S.  Bernard).  A  Christian  of  the  Mar- 
tha type  may  be  expert  in  outward  activities, 
but  is  a  very  babe  in  the  interior  life.  He 
enters  upon  a  new  era  in  which  he  would  seek  a 
closer  walk  with  God,  but  his  faculties  are  bent 
in  an  earthly  direction.  He  needs  careful  help, 
loving  rebuke,  wise  instruction,  in  the  process 


66 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


of  bending  them  back  towards  God.  The  old 
Adam  immediately  seeks  to  lead  him  back  to 
the  old  life,  the  region  which  to  nature's  eye 
now  more  than  before  presents  lovely  land- 
scapes undisfigiired  by  self-denials,  crosses, 
watchings,  and  contradictions  of  the  flesh;  but 
he  hears  also  the  Holy  Spirit  telling  him  of  the 
folly  of  hungering  for  scenes  that  charm  no 
longer  when  they  are  once  possessed.  He  sees 
the  danger  of  following  a  guide  so  false  and 
fallible  as  the  former,  and  realizes  that  it  is  only 
the  voice  from  above  which  can  lead  him  into 
ways  of  pleasantness  and  paths  of  peace.  Self- 
guidance  is  an  impracticable  art,  and  as  such  he 
must  renounce  it.  Children  must  not  go  on 
long  and  perilous  journeys  unattended. 

Martha,  who  stood  entrenched  behind  the 
tools  and  traps  of  her  kitchen,  thinking  to  make 
a  feast  and  take  proper  care  of  her  Divine  Guest, 
found  that  her  duty  lay  in  precisely  the  opposite 
direction.  He  did  not  need  her  care  so  much  as 
she  needed  His.  She  needed  to  put  herself  in 
His  mighty  keeping,  and  be  guided  in  the  way 
of  holiness.  The  secret  of  sanctification  lies  in 
our  being  made  holy,  not  in  making  ourselves 
holy.  There  may  be  self-made  men, — there  are 
no  self-made  saints.    We  can  acquire  only  what 


SELF-S  URRENDER. 


67 


is  imparted,  and  God  only  can  impart.  *'Open 
th\^  mouth  wide/' — this  represents  our  only 
capability;  *^and  I  will  fill  it," — such  is  the 
prerogative  and  promise  of  God.  There  are 
man\^  paths  to  perfection,  many  helping  sac- 
raments, many  methods  of  practising  holi- 
ness ;  there  are  many  books  to  teach  and 
man3^  wise  ones  in  the  science  of  sanctity 
to  direct  how  to  live  for  God  ;  there  are  many 
strong  uplifting  influences  favorable  to  one  who 
w^ould  live  an  interior  life.  Just  think  how 
Holy  Eucharists  girdle  the  earth  every  day, 
and  offer  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  for  them  that 
thirst  for  God !  These  means  and  influences 
should  neither  be  depreciated  nor  despised,  as 
they  are  to  an  alarming  extent.  Many  souls 
are  blind  to  see  and  numb  to  feel  the  attractions 
of  the  hidden  life  because  they  seek  it  not  where 
ordinarily  it  is  to  be  found.  They  honor  not 
God  in  His  means  of  grace,  and  miss  Him  when 
they  seek  Him  without, — the  sore  penalt3^  of 
self-sufl5ciency.  Self-guidance  is  a  dangerous 
experiment.  But  necessary  as  means  are,  they 
are  necessary  only  as  means.  Without  the 
eflSciency  that  is  from  above,  they  would  be 
empty  of  significance  or  force,  though  until  the 
despisers  of  means  can  show  them,  to  be  sep- 


68 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


arate  from  grace  it  will  still  be  sin  to  despise 
them.  Efficaciously,  God  only  can  make  us  holy. 
He  only  knows  us, — our  needs,  our  perils,  our 
trials,  our  hungerings,  our  weakness,  our  past, 
our  prospects  ;  and  He  only  can  impart  the  grace 
that  is  suited  to  each  individual.  If  His  means 
seem  at  times  to  miscarry  and  end  in  disap- 
pointment and  failure,  it  is  for  the  same  reason 
that  He  Himself  spreads  out  His  hands  all  the 
day  long  to  a  rebellious  people,  which  walketh 
in  a  w^ay  that  is  not  good,  after  their  own 
thoughts.  pe  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men ; 
a  Man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief: 
and  we  hid,  as  it  w^ere,  our  faces  from  Him  ;  He 
was  despised  and  we  esteemed  Him  not.^^ 

Our  primary  present  duty  then  is  to  honor 
the  means  of  grace,  because  God  works  in  them 
and  by  them  by  imparting  guiding  grace  to 
those  who  rightly  use  them. 

Our  concurrent  duty  is  to  transfer  ourselves 
to  Him  who  imparts.  We  must  offer  ourselves 
up  to  God  in  such  an  absolute  sense  that  we 
may  be  said  to  abandon  ourselves  into  His 
hands.  Thereby,  we  renounce  self-guidance;  a 
renunciation  as  difficult  as  it  is  necessary,  for 
there  is  in  man  such  an  invincible  sense  of  spir- 
itual self-sufficiency,  our  capacity  of  self-help 


SELF-SURRENDER. 


69 


seems  to  be  so  real,  that  with  the  sincerest 
desires  after  holiness,  we  are  slow  to  realize 
that  the  only  co-operation  we  can  offer  is  to  be 
ready  and  willing  in  the  day  of  His  power. 

This  willingness  will  express  itself  by  the 
titter  surrender  of  ourselves  into  His  guiding 
hands.  Distinctly,  and  by  formal  acts,  the 
will  abdicates  its  throne  as  an  independ- 
ent authority,  and  submits  itself  to  the  sov- 
ereignty of  the  Divine  will,  not  as  a  servi- 
tude, but  as  a  migration  from  false  to  true 
liberty.  That  there  is  any  freedom  out  of  God 
is  an  utterly  baseless  illusion.  He  only  is  free 
who  freely  acts  the  wise,  holy,  loving,  and  gen- 
erous will  of  God.  True  liberty  does  not  con- 
sist in  the  power  to  choose  evil.  Who  is  so  free 
as  God  who  cannot  sin  ?  To  be  really  free  we 
must  rise  above  our  little  level,  and  ask  God  to 
guide  us  according  to  His  good  pleasure. 

This  abdication  is  entirely  a  reasonable  serv- 
ice, because,  while  we  are  made  up  of  limitations. 
He  is  the  Perfect,  the  Absolute,  the  Uncondi- 
tioned, by  whom  and  for  whom  all  things  con- 
sist. Self-consecration  is  the  duty  which  the 
creature  owes  to  the  Creator.  It  is  the  natural 
homage  of  the  imperfect  to  the  Perfect.  But  He 
is  as  perfect  in  His  glory  and  beauty  and  love 


70 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


as  in  His  power.  It  is  therefore  essential  to  our 
surrender  to  God's  will  in  every  event,  that  we 
have  a  true  admiration  and  love  for  Him,  as 
well  as  a  lowly  submission  to  His  authority. 
For  we  could  not  persuade  ourselves  to  conse- 
crate our  wills  to  One  who  was  not  divinely 
benevolent.  Hence  the  Christian  who  aspires 
to  perfection,  through  self-abandonment,  will 
enlarge  his  conceptions  of  the  character  of  God. 
Beginning  with  his  present  measure  of  knowl- 
edge, he  will  employ  his  powers  of  devout 
thought  in  acquiring  higher  views  of  the  essen- 
tial glories  and  attractions  of  this  wonderful 
God.  O,  could  we  but  have  immediate  revela- 
tion, so  far  as  we  could  bear  it,  of  the  infinite 
moral  splendor  of  His  being,  every  Martha 
would  in  the  instant  be  transformed  into  a 
Mary !  It  would  be  a  revelation  of  unutterable 
affection,  a  fascination  of  love,  that  would 
quench  all  these  earthly  glimmers  of  light  which 
now  attract  us.  Great  is  the  shame  and  the  sin 
of  it  that  we  make  so  little  of  God. 

But  to  know  Him  as  we  ought  is  an  educa- 
tion, and  we  must  plod  on  patientl3^  It  is 
everything  to  begin,  however.  Begin  to-da^^  to 
make  just  a  little  more  of  God's  guidance  than 
you  did  yesterday;  be  a  little  more  watchful  of 


SELF-SURRENDER, 


71 


your  tongue,  a  little  more  real  in  your  prayers, 
a  little  more  charitable  in  your  judgments  of 
others,  a  little  more  thankful  for  the  dear  Fath- 
er's patience  and  kindness;  and  so,  day  by  day, 
a  little  more  and  a  little  more,  until  after  awhile 
you  will  find  a  great  change  come  over  you,  and 
you  will  wonder  how  you  could  have  lived  so 
long  without  God  or  with  such  a  little  idea  of 
God.  Years  will  roll  on;  more  and  more  God 
wnll  become  the  best  part  of  your  life,  your  con- 
stant guide  and  guard;  and  then,  perhaps,  you 
will  be  able  to  say,  He  is  my  All  in  all. 

Self-surrender  to  God  is  a  reasonable  service, 
also,  because  of  His  relation  to  everything. 
Convinced  of  our  own  insufficiency,  we  see  Him 
so  close  to  His  creatures,  and  to  all  that  comes 
to  pass,  that  nothing  can  happen  without  Him. 
Avoiding  the  impious  conclusion  that  He  is  the 
author  of  sin,  recognizing  the  existence  of  evil  in 
His  universe  as  at  present  an  insoluble  mystery, 
and  not  doubting  the  testimony  of  consciousness 
that  the  human  will  is  free,  we  may  still  think 
of  every  event  as  a  shadow  that  conceals  His 
Presence.  His  will  is  related  to  it  in  the  order 
of  fiat,  or  in  the  order  of  permission.  In  the 
light  of  this  Divine  immediateness — the  immedi- 
ateness  of  One  who  transcends  His  own  crea- 


72 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


tion,  however,* — we  see  in  the  passing  history 
of  every  hour  a  panoramic  expression  of  His 
good  pleasure.  Every  event  is  an  appeal  to  us 
to  say,  ^^Thy  will  be  done/'  What  then  is  self- 
abandonment  but  our  response  to  this  appeal, 
by  which  we  make  habitual  consecration  of  our 
wills  to  the  will  of  God  thus  manifested?  It 
would  not  be  entire  if  we  refused  to  accept  or 
murmured  in  accepting  God  as  revealed  in  all 
that  is.  But  in  looking  at  all  things  as  the3^ 
come  and  go,  in  ceaseless  fluctuation,  we  must 
see  that  whatever  is  at  any  given  moment  the 
ordering  of  God  is  His  best  present  form  of 
blessing.  Every  event  is  a  shrine  in  which  He 
may  be  worshipped.  All  things  work  together 
for  good  to  them  that  love  God.  The  difficulties 
which  faith  encounters  in  associating  all  things 
with  His  will  are  not  problems  to  love,  for  love 
has  power  to  rise  to  the  height  of  finding  this 


*  He  is  behind  everything,  above  everything,  and  in  a 
sense  in  everthing  that  exists  or  happens.  The  doctrine  of 
the  immanence  of  God  is  as  old  as  truth  itself.  If  God, 
however,  is  immanent  in  the  world  as  in  a  prison,  and  is  a 
prisoner  in  His  own  world,  then  He  has  made  something  as 
great  as  Himself  and  stronger  than  He  is.  It  would  be 
hard  to  revere  such  a  being.  But  He  is  immanent  only  in 
the  sense  that  He  is  the  Omnipresent  tiltimate  force  and 
will,  the  first  and  final  cause,  the  Creator  and  Upholder,  in 
whom  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being;  but  He 
transcends  what  He  has  made  or  permitted  by  as  much  as 
the  Infinite  transcends  the  finite.  He  is  infinitely  above  and 
beyond,  while  potentially  within  all  things. 


SELF-SURRENDER. 


73 


God  of  love  everywhere;  and  everywhere  yield- 
ing to  the  attractive  power  of  His  Presence  by 
surrender  to  His  wisdom  and  goodness. 

And  let  us  mark  with  special  emphasis  that 
this  making  one's  self  over  into  the  keeping  hands 
of  God  is  a  distinct  act — one  might  say  a  dis- 
tinct transaction.  It  is  not  a  pious  affectation, 
a  piece  of  religious  sentimentalism,  a  spiritual 
illusion  conceived  in  the  breasts  of  cloistered 
visionaries;  but  is  solid  reality  for  the  most 
prosaic  of  Christians;  a  distinct  act  done  in  a 
moment  and  to  be  repeated  until  it  becomes 
habitual,  whether  laboring  or  resting  from 
labor,  at  home  or  abroad,  in  the  whirl  of  busi- 
ness or  kneeling  at  the  altar,  whether  praying 
or  praising,  in  sorrow  or  in  joy,  in  plenty  or 
want,  in  good  or  ill  repute,  sick  or  well,  whether 
the  world  smiles  or  frowns,  wherever  he  is, 
whatever  he  does,  he  is  always  engaged  in  inter- 
ior acts  of  the  will  by  which  he  transfers  himself 
into  the  hands  of  the  Keeper  of  souls.  It  has 
become  the  habit  of  his  life  to  abandon  himself 
to  God. 

The  annals  of  religion  are  beautified  with  the 
constant  presence  of  this  grace.  The  spirit  of 
the  entire  Psalter  is,  **Put  your  trust  in  the 
Lord.''   The  hearts  of  the  ancient  saints  were 


74 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


touched  to  ecstasy  because  God  was  their  refuge. 
To  Him  they  carried  their  fears  and  burdens, 
because  He  was  their  everlasting  strength.  To 
Him  they  Hfted  their  noblest  songs,  hiding  them- 
selves in  the  secret  of  His  presence  from  the 
pride  of  man.  They  clung  with  tender  devotion 
to  that  secret  of  the  saints  :  Thou  shalt  keep 
him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  sta3^ed  on 
Thee."  What  a  triumph  of  self-abandonment 
was  Job's  when  he  said,  "Though  He  slay  me, 
yet  will  I  trust  in  Him!"  And  how  distinctly 
we  see  apostle  after  apostle  leaving  all  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  Master's  call,  "  Follow  Me !  "  Who 
but  S.  Paul  could  have  exclaimed,  ''I  know 
whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that 
He  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed 
unto  Him  against  that  day  "  ?  How  splendid  S. 
Peter's  picture  of  the  unfading  heaven  reserved 
for  those  who  are  kept  by  the  power  of  God, 
through  faith  unto  salvation,  ready  to  be  re- 
lieved in  the  last  time"  !  The  same  jubilant  tone 
appears  in  the  Christian  Hterature  of  all  the 
ages.  Everywhere  the  song  is  of  God,  the  strong- 
Keeper  of  them  that  trust  in  Him  and  that 
transfer  themselves  to  the  blessed  custody  of  His 
hands  for  time  and  eternity. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Self*©blation» 

Our  Lord's  Perfect  Self-Surrender— The  Experience 
OF  S.  Paul. 

'TTHAT  the  spirit  of  self-oblation  should  be  a 
characteristic  grace  of  the  Christian  Jife  in 
its  best  development,  was  the  natural  result  of 
the  beautiful  but  mysterious  devotion  of  the 
Son  of  God.  Those  who  hunger  to  exhaust  the 
possibilities  of  grace  should  study  with  an  awful 
interest  the  acts  of  our  Lord's  perfect  oblation 
of  Himself  to  the  Father,  and  then  earnestly 
strive,  so  far  as  they  may,  to  reproduce  them 
in  their  lives. 

Our  Divine  Lord's  self-surrender  was  without 
reservation,  a  whole  burnt-offering.  He  gave 
His  entire  Person  and  both  His  Natures.  It  is 
easy  for  us  to  keep  back  part  of  the  price,  easy 
to  dream  that  we  have  surrendered  all  when 


76 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


many  a  reserve  of  self-love  lies  concealed  in  onr 
hearts;  when  we  still  secrete  some  wretched 
resentment  or  prejudice,  or  give  ourselves  the 
benefit  of  the  doubt  in  an  uncertain  case  of  con- 
science, or  shrink  from  severe  tests  of  humility ; 
when  we  rebel  at  the  lash  of  discipline,  or  nurse 
concealed  pride  over  our  spiritual  attainments, 
or  imagine  that  we  are  something  when  we  are 
nothing,  or  assume  to  be  a  little  better  than 
someone  else.  These  are  the  little  foxes  that 
gnaw  the  vines  of  a  perfect  oblation,  our  only 
safety  against  their  mischief  being  to  offer  them 
also,  in  all  their  littleness,  to  God.  When  we 
can  learn  to  offer  and  transfer  ourselves,  just  as 
we  are,  with  all  our  imperfections  on  our  heads, 
our  oblation  will  have  become  perfect  and  en- 
tire, wanting  nothing. We  have  nothing  but 
ourselves  to  offer. 

Our  Lord's  self-oblation  was  most  costly. 
Follow  the  story  from  the  wail  of  the  Infant 
upon  the  Virgin  Mother's  breast  to  the  agoniz- 
ing cry  on  Calvary,  It  is  finished.''  Language 
fails  to  compute  what  He  paid  as  the  price  of 
our  redemption;  but  this  we  know,  that  with 
that  intent  He  impoverished  Himself.  He  suf- 
fered HimvSelf  to  fall  as  far  from  heaven  as  He 
could  without  sin. 


SELF-OBLATION,  77 


Unlike  Him  we  are  ever  counting  the  cost. 
We  would  make  speed  to  surrender  ourselves 
into  God's  hands,  provided  we  might  do  so  upon 
our  own  terms.  But  He  will  not  accept  a 
divided  offering;  we  must  ^^give  all  to  find  all.'' 
He  that  loses  his  life  shall  find  it.  In  choosing 
God  for  our  chief  good  we  choose  our  losses  as 
well  as  our  gains,  all  that  He  takes  away  or 
bids  us  leave  behind,  as  well  as  all  that  He 
sends.  The  more  we  die  to  self-love  the  more 
we  live  in  the  love  of  God.  The  severities  and 
disciplines  which  are  necessary  to  us  end  in 
songs  of  rejoicing.  The  Master  puts  responsi- 
bilities upon  us,  crowds  sacred  duties  into  every 
day  of  our  lives,  tosses  us  back  and  forth  in  the 
loom  of  sorrow,  threshes  us  on  the  floor  of  trib- 
ulation, that  we  may  make  not  less  but  more 
of  Him,  more  and  more,  until  He  becomes  Every- 
thing in  everything  to  us.  After  that,  service  is 
recreation.  He  is  the  Holy  First  and  Final  End 
of  life,  and  service  is  the  grateful  return  of  a  con- 
straining love  that  has  found  its  inspiration  in 
God. 

Is  it  not  passing  strange  that  the  simple  duty 
of  walking  in  the  blessed  steps  of  our  Lord  often 
bursts  upon  the  mind  like  a  new  revelation? 
Why  should  we  have  remained  so  long  blind  to 


78 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


the  rudiments  of  the  Christian  life?  Why  did 
we  live  years  of  bondage  to  fear,  of  interior 
unrest,  of  unguided  groping  in  spiritual  twi- 
light, before  this  truth  burst  in  splendor  upon 
our  minds — this  simple  dutj^  of  making  ourselves 
over  by  distinct  acts  into  God's  hands?  And 
yet  it  is  impossible  that  God's  help  should  fail 
when  a  soul  puts  itself  into  His  keeping  hands, 
and  abides  there.  Sin  can  have  no  sovereign 
control,  nor  make  successful  attempt  to  regain 
lost  territory  in  such  a  case,  simply  because 
God  has  accepted  that  which  was  committed  to 
Him.  The  process  of  its  final  banishment  can- 
not be  arrested ;  and  the  daily  victories  which 
now  begin  to  brighten  the  daily  strife,  will  have 
their  consummation  in  the  exceeding  peace  of 
a  soul  that  has  found  its  eternal  home  deep  in 
the  bosom  of  God. 

This  was  the  pathway  which  S.  Paul  trav- 
ersed. In  his  utter  weakness,  in  his  despair  of 
self-delivery  from  temptation,  he  cast  himself 
(with  his  weakness)  upon  God;  he  made  a  high- 
way for  grace  by  leveling  nature  to  the  earth; 
and  it  was  then,  but  not  till  then,  that  he  saw 
revealed  the  Divine  secret  of  Christian  growth  : 
My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee ;  for  My  strength 
is  made  perfect  in  weakness."    And  what  was 


SELF-OBLATION, 


79 


the  effect  upon  him  ?  Why,  he  at  once  arose  as 
on  wings  to  a  higher  atmosphere;  and  those 
things  which  had  been  so  hard  to  bear  became 
a  source  of  actual  consolation  to  him.  "  There- 
fore," he  cried,  "I  take  pleasure  in  infirmities,  in 
reproaches,  in  necessities,  in  persecutions,  in  dis- 
tresses for  Christ's  sake;  for  when  I  am  weak, 
then  am  I  strong." 

And  such  has  been  the  experience  of  all  who 
have  found  that  pathway,  who  have  gone  to 
God  and  put  their  weakness  into  His  hands. 
Struggling  with  besetting  sins  only  to  find  them- 
selves bond-slaves  still,  they  commended  the 
keeping  of  their  souls  to  God.  There  remained 
much  to  do  in  the  ways  of  self-examination,  con- 
trition, confession,  reparation,  prayer  and  praise, 
worship  and  sacrament;  but  none  of  these  could 
they  have  done  in  any  satisfying  sense  until 
they  gave  themselves  up  in  the  most  unreserved 
manner.  Then  they  could  do  all  these  things 
through  Christ  who  strengthened  them.  Then, 
true  confession  led  on  to  real  absolution, 
and  absolution  to  peace.  Then,  the  altar 
shone  with  the  light  of  other  worlds,  and 
other  worlds  became  attractive  as  never  be- 
fore. Then,  prayer  was  all  praise,  and  praise 
all  prayer.    Then,  the  Saviour's  cross  became 


80 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


more  beautiful  than  all  the  beauties  of  nature. 
Then,  work  was  transformed  from  labor  to 
worship,  and  trouble  became  a  veritable  source 
of  happiness. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TTbe  Ma^  of  puraation* 

Self-Oblation  not  a  Passive  Surrender— Three  Stages 
OF  Growth— Progress  is  Slow— The  Sin  of  Impa- 
tience. 

'^'HE  habitual  abandonment  of  the  soul  to  the 
keeping  of  God  in  the  way  of  oblation  is 
not  a  state  of  passive  surrender  in  which  respon- 
sibility ceases.  Self,  though  renounced,  is  not  yet 
subjugated.  We  have  much  to  do  co-operat- 
ively, although  God  does  all  efficaciously.  ^*It 
is  of  us  to  cleanse  the  vessel ;  it  is  of  God  to  fill 
it.'^  There  will  never  be  a  period  in  our  devel- 
opment as  disciples  of  Christ,  when  we  shall 
pass  beyond  the  necessity  of  personal  effort  and 
conflict,  but  the  battle  is  naturally  fiercest  in  its 
earlier  stages.  ^^The  path  of  the  just  is  as  a 
shining  light,  which  shineth  more  and  more 
unto  the  perfect  day.''  The  shadows  of  night 
must  be  assailed,  the  trailing  clouds  of  vapor  at 
dawn  must  be  put  to  flight,  and  great  armies  of 


82 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


clouds  must  be  vanquished  before  the  sun  has 
full  sway  in  his  empire  of  light. 

Those  who  know  much  of  the  ways  of  God 
in  the  soul  speak  of  stages  of  growth.  A  beau- 
tiful analysis  of  this  progressive  movement  was 
made  by  the  late  reverend  Mother  of  the  Com- 
munity of  S.John  Baptist  (''Clewer  Sisters  ^^): 

*^A11  spiritual  life/^  she  wrote,  ^^is  a  growth 
through  different  stages. 

First — The  conquest  of  actual  sin  such  as 
we  must  and  ought  to  struggle  against. 

Second — Then  the  gradual  rising  beyond 
the  struggle  into  a  state  where  the  soul  seems 
growing  and  deepening  on  all  sides,  and  the 
inward  consciousness  is  increasing  so  that  the 
immortal  within  can  find  no  rest  till  it  has 
found  its  repose  in  God;  and  this  is  a  time  of 
long  and  slow  and  gradual  growth — great 
worlds  to  travel  in  here.  There  is  a  distinct 
consciousness  that  we  mean  to  be  on  God\s  side, 
we  mean  to  give  Him  our  heart.  This  is  a  time 
when  oftentimes  the  only  appearance  of  pro- 
gress we  have  is  the  longing  not  to  fall  back; 
and  then  something  comes  and  opens  a  long 
vista  before  us,  and  we  see  the  way  to  walk  in, 
and  live  more  in  the  sunshine  of  God's  pres- 
ence. 


THE  WAY  OF  PURGATION, 


83 


^^And  then,  third,  comes  that  wondrous  state 
of  Divine  love  and  union  when  the  soul  is  fixed 
steadfastly  in  regions  above  earth,  and  comes 
down  to  touch  earth  only  in  ministries  of  love, 
and  with  a  will  w^holly  one  with  the  Divine 
Will, — a  life  of  beatitude  when  all  has  been 
offered  up,  and  we  are  wholly  one  with  God, — 
that  life  which  our  Lord  speaks  of  (S.  John 
xiv.  23).  But  we  must  plod  a  bit  yet  ere  we 
reach  this,  though  it  helps  us  to  catch  gHmpses 
of  it,  and  makes  us  feel  at  times  we  could  give 
up  all  to  attain  to  it/'  * 

But  the  process  by  which  Martha  may 
become  a  Mary  can  be  indicated  only  in  outline, 
for  the  reason  that,  as  there  are  diversities  of 


Sane tifi cation  is  a  work  both  human  and  divine.  It 
is  divine  through  its  immediate  principle,  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
through  its  meritorious  cause,  the  Incarnation  and  the 
death  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  through  its  end,  the  happiness  of 
the  Holy  Trinity,  in  which  holy  souls  are  to  participate  for 
all  eternity ;  finally,  through  its  chief  means,  the  teachings 
and  the  graces  of  Jesus  Christ  transmitted  to  men  through 
the  Church. 

"But  this  work  is  human  also,  since  the  graces  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  the  merits  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  design  of  the 
Holy  Trinity,  and  all  the  efforts  of  Providence,  can  bear 
fruit  in  a  soul  only  as  far  as  she  freely  co-operates  with  them. 

"This  co-operation  in  our  sanctification  which  God 
requires  of  us  is  composed  of  three  parts. 

"  It  consists  first  of  all  in  the  destruction  of  everything 
in  our  corrupt  nature  which  is  an  obstacle  to  the  divine 
action:  sins,  vices,  sensible  inclinations,  defects,  imperfec- 
tions. This  first  labor  is  what  the  masters  of  the  spiritual 
life  call  the  purgative  way.  It  is  accomplished  by  exami- 
nations of  conscience,  works  of  penance  and  mortification, 
and  various  practices  in  use  in  the  Church. 


84 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


disposition  and  experience,  there  must  be  diver- 
sity in  the  methods  by  which  God  effects  trans- 
formations so  great.  Many  are  the  highways 
that  lead  to  EmmanueVs  Land,  and  one  pilgrim 
may  reach  it  by  a  path  which  would  be  imprac- 
ticable to  another.  There  are  however  charac- 
teristic features  common  to  all;  and  of  these 
there  is  one  without  which  the  first  step  could 
not  be  taken  nor  any  progress  made,  namely, 
the  conquest  of  actual  sin  such  as  we  must  and 
ought  to  struggle  against,'^  which  is  sometimes 
called  the  way  of purgation. 

And  let  it  be  noted  here,  that  whatever 
heights  of  sanctity  may  be  scaled,  there  will 
never  arrive  a  period  in  this  life  in  which  the 

"The  second  part  of  the  labor  which  God  imposes  on 
the  soul  desirous  to  attain  sanctity  is  less  painful,  and 
easier.  It  is  what  is  called  the  illuminative  way.  The  soul 
that  God  introduces  therein  exercises  herself  in  producing-  the 
interior  acts  of  virtue  with  which  grace  inspires  her,  and  in 
practising  the  good  works  to  which  the  same  grace  impels  her. 

"Finally,  when  the  obstacles  are  removed  and  the  soul's 
preparation  is  completed,  God  unites  Himself  to  her,  fills 
her  with  his  grace,  inflames  her  with  His  love,  and  uses  her 
as  the  docile  instrument  for  the  accomplishment  of  His 
designs :  this  is  the  unitive  way. 

"But  let  us  not  misapprehend  this  condi don.  Even  in 
this  perfect  state,  in  which  God  is  fully  master  of  His  reason- 
able creature.  He  does  not  act  in  her  without  her  co-opera- 
tion; He  requires  of  her  great  fidelity  in  avoiding  the 
smallest  faults,  great  vigilance  over  her  affections,  great 
generosity  in  denying  herself  in  all  things,  great  fervor  in 
prayer.  So  far  from  dispensing  her  from  the  works  of  the 
illuminative  way  by  which  she  prepared  herself  for  the 
Divine  Union,  He  causes  her  to  accomplish  them  with 
greater  perfection  and  merit.'' — H.  Ramiere. 


THE  WAY  QF  PURGATION. 


85 


necessity  for  purgation  shall  cease.  There  are 
states  of  experience  in  which  the  soul  is  swal- 
lowed up  in  God,  states  approximate  to  positive 
perfection,  high  planes  of  holy  living  attained 
by  souls  who  have  died  to  everything  but  God ; 
but  for  them  even  the  pains  of  purgation  are 
not  wholly  removed.  Christian  perfection,  at 
its  noblest  and  best,  is  no  more  than  the  noblest 
and  best  aim  at  absolute  perfection  here- 
after. 

The  way  of  purgation  cannot  be  avoided.  It 
is  entirely  practicable  to  keep  step  with  the 
most  active  workers,  to  spend  all  one's  strength 
in  exterior  service,  and  at  the  same  time  to  be 
inwardly  the  slave  of  sin.  This  has  been  often 
illustrated  in  the  annals  of  the  Church,  and  sad 
enough  are  those  exemplifications  of  hypocrisy. 
But  it  is  impossible  for  an  awakened  Christian 
to  devote  his  strength  to  interior  activity  with- 
out finding  it  necessary  at  once  to  grapple  with 
his  sins. 

The  new  alliance  of  the  soul  is  a  passage  out 
of  the  indefinite  into  the  definite.  By  the  great 
renunciation,  the  powers  of  the  will  have  bound 
themselves  to  make  it  effective.  The  surrender 
to  God  implies,  necessitates,  obedience;  and,  in 
order  to  obey  Him,  we  must  cease  to  obey  the 


86 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


renounced  master  at  once.  The  consequent  con- 
flict is  immediate. 

The  question  hence  becomes  one  of  courage, 
honesty,  and  thoroughness. 

Purgation,  then,  expresses  the  first  need  and 
duty  of  one  who  would  wish  to  act  according 
to  the  spirit  of  his  self-surrender  into  the  hands 
of  God.  Making  one's  self  over  to  a  Divine 
Keeper,  we  repeat  it,  is  not  a  high-flown  senti- 
ment, but  a  deliberate  act  w^hich  includes  and 
disposes  to  all  its  implications;  and  surely  it 
can  imply  nothing  less  than  the  resolve  to  keep 
inviolate  the  commandments  of  God,  or  (which 
is  the  same  thing),  to  purify  one's  self  from  the 
habits  of  sin,  primarily  those  which  do  most 
easily  beset  us.  The  end  in  view  being  the  form- 
ation within  of  a  growing  capacity  for  holiness, 
there  must  at  once  follow  a  calm,  but  intense, 
attack  upon  the  long-existing  and  tyrannous 
capacity  for  worldliness,  lukewarmness,  and 
exteriority  w^hich  has  now  been  renounced. 

The  Martha  type  of  Christian,  resolutely 
determined  to  seek  and  secure  the  one  thing 
needful,  must  not  anticipate  speedy  results. 
Two  armies  stand  face  to  face ;  a  great  battle  is 
at  hand ;  but  the  issue  cannot  be  decided  by  a 
single  action.   When  an  enemy  has  fortified 


THE  WAY  OF  PURGATION. 


87 


himself  in  the  land,  he  is  not  to  be  speedily  dis- 
lodged ;  and  when  evil  ways,  or  half-hearted 
ways,  have  grown  with  a  man's  growth,  and 
strengthened  with  his  strength,  they  cannot  be 
driven  out  at  the  first  nod  of  his  will.  Long 
campaigns  await  the  soul.  There  have  been 
in  the  history  of  the  Church  some  striking 
instances  of  rapid  transformation;  but  the 
ordinary  operation  of  grace  is  like  the  effect  of 
the  nearing  sun  upon  a  winter  landscape ;  it  is  a 
far  call  from  the  melting  of  the  snow  to  the 
mature  foliage  of  the  summer.  The  will  long- 
habituated  to  put  the  last  first,  and  the  first 
last,  cannot  acquire  the  reverse  habit  in  a  day. 
The  art  of  unceasing  prayer  has  to  be  learned, 
and  habits  of  self-repression  and  silence  secured. 
All  the  old  life  must  be  made  over;  the  senses 
must  be  mortified;  the  motives  revolutionized; 
the  passions  purified;  the  members  freed  from 
servitude  to  sin;  every  thought  brought  into 
subjection  to  Christ;  constant  Communion  with 
God  cultivated,  and  thereby  humility  acquired, 
— it  is  indeed  a  great  and  lifelong  work  of 
purification. 

We  could  commit  no  mistake  more  hazard- 
ous than  to  count  the  joys  of  surrender  to  be 
the  joys  of  perfection.    One  cluster  of  grapes. 


88 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


and  a  few  pomegranates  and  figs,  from  Eschol, 
do  not  make  the  Promised  Land.  But  the  slow- 
ly progressive  movement  is  the  assurance  of 
final  results.  When  God  honors  His  hungr3^ 
children  with  a  little  loaf,  and  a  little  taste  of 
the  water  of  life,  it  is  a  great  mercy.  He  alwa^^s 
gives  more  than  they  either  desire  or  deserve, 
nor  will  He  withhold  His  gifts  so  long  as  they 
co-operate  with  His  grace;  but  they  must  not 
vex  Him  by  impatience.  They  should  neither 
begin  too  eagerly,  nor  expect  too  much.  The 
soul  which  stumbles  and  falls,  and  rises  only  to 
stumble  again,  must  avoid  the  temptation  to 
exclaim :  I  have  fallen  again :  it  is  of  no  use  to 
try.  Let  him  rather  say :  It  is  just  like  me  to 
have  fallen,  but  I  will  try  again.  The  Saints  are 
the  sinners  who  kept  on  trying. 

Grateful  should  we  be  if  God  gives  even  so 
much  as  the  first  rudiments  of  that  knowledge 
of  which,  if  we  are  finally  to  see  Him  face  to 
face,  we  shall  know  all.  The  gift  of  a  stammer- 
ing tongue  is  the  promise  of  nobler  speech  here- 
after. 

And  yet  how  impatient  we  are  for  results ! 
Probably  more  hopes  have  been  frustrated  by 
impatience  than  by  deliberate  reversion  to  former 
ways.   We  need  to  mark  how  God  leads  us 


THE  WAY  OF  PURGATION. 


89 


onward  under  the  law  of  development  by  exer- 
cise. Slight,  indeed,  are  the  perceptions  of  spir- 
itual possibility  which  the  Marthas  possess. 
Even  those  who  strive  to  see  with  clearer  vision 
often  seem  to  see  only  ^^men  as  trees  walking. 
But  let  them  be  thankful  for  what  they  see,  nor 
endanger  what  they  have  by  over-eagerness. 
They  who  hurry  lose  patience,  and  impatience 
begets  pride,  and  pride  causes  complaint,  as 
though  God  must  forsooth  govern  Himself  by 
our  dictations.  Many  are  the  persons  who  have 
asked  for  a  sudden  and  revolutionary  change 
within;  and  were  greatly  discouraged  when 
subsequent  events  indicated  much  remaining 
mischief  in  the  senses  and  a  world  of  self-love 
not  yet  exorcised.  How  different  the  case  might 
have  been  had  some  wise  voice  counselled  them 
not  to  lay  down  terms  to  God,  nor  to  think 
about  the  heights  of  sanctity  that  might  be 
scaled  by  them,  but  to  go  quietly  on,  fighting 
each  day's  battle  by  itself,  and  committing  the 
soul  to  God's  hands  to  be  dealt  with  as  He  will, 
when  He  will,  and  by  what  means  He  will ! 

Those  better  guided  souls,  who  seek  and 
would  retain  right  relations  w4th  God,  are  re- 
joiced to  leave  results  in  His  hands.  They  cleave 
to  what  God  has  given  them,  and  know  that 


90 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


^*he  that  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given. They 
know  whom  they  have  believed,  and  are  per- 
suaded that  He  is  able  to  keep  that  which  they 
have  committed  unto  Him.    He  is  their  All  in 
all,  and  the  best  they  can  say  for  themselves  is 
that  they  are  themostunworthy  of  His  children. 
Those  to  whom  God  gives  spiritual  growth  are 
not  conscious  of  holiness.   The  closer  they  are  i 
drawn  to  the  Majesty  and  Splendor  of  His  | 
Being,  the  more  base  does  sin  appear,  and  the  | 
more  clearly  are  revealed  the  almost  forgotten! 


their  nothingness,  they  praise  Him  for  the  grace 
they  have  merited  not.  They  do  not  stop  to 
measure  the  tokens  of  growth — not  how  near 
they  have  drawn  to  God,  but  how  near  God  has 
drawn  to  them.  And  so  their  weakness  passes 
on  from  strength  to  strength.  The  eye  which 
at  the  beginning  of  earnest  discipleship  could 
bear  but  a  single  ray  of  light  can  now  bear 
many ;  and  thus  God  honors  the  uplifted  vision 
more  and  more,  until  by  the  precision  of  well- 
trained  eyes,  and  the  expansion  of  their  field  of 
sight,  the  soul  discovers  God  to  be  the  only 
Good,  the  only  Beauty,  the  only  End  and 
Reward. 


sins  of  their  past  years.  From 


CHAPTER  X. 


XTbe  Deatb^StrugoIe  wUb  Stm 

The  Way  of  Purgation  Involves  the  Overthrow  of 
Sense  Domination— The  Besetting  Sin— Occasions  of 
Sin  to  be  Avoided— First  Assaults  Repelled— Venial 
Sins  Dangerous— Spiritual  Pride— Contemplation  of 
God's  Goodness. 

/^UR  physical  organs  of  vision  were  made  to 
see  physical  objects,  and  they  are  compe- 
tent to  do  no  more.  But  we  possess,  also  a 
vision  of  the  sonl  by  which  spiritual  blessings 
are  discerned.  In  man's  original  condition 
there  was  a  well-balanced  co-operation  of  the 
senses  and  the  spirit;  but  now,  sense  vision  is 
acute,  alert,  eager;  and  the  soul's  eye  is  dim 
and  torpid.  Our  discernment  of  spiritual  real- 
ities is,  therefore,  like  the  view  we  get  of  the 
figure  of  a  friend  on  the  other  side  of  a  door  of 
opaque  glass.  Through  it  we  can  see  only  a 
blurred,  unoutlined  object.   We  could  see  our 


92 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


friend  if  the  glass  were  transparent.  But  while 
sense  vision  terminates  at  the  death  of  the  body, 
the  soul's  sight  is  inherent  and  partakes  of  its 
immortality.  In  thinking  of  the  future,  it  is  a 
painful  reflection  that  the  senses,  which  are  now 
so  active  and  imperious,  must  cease  to  live; 
while  the  soul,  be  it  never  so  sluggish,  cannot 
die.  Think  of  a  soul  bereft  of  its  body  and 
ushered  into  God's  presence,— just  a  naked  soul, 
stripped  of  that  physical  organism  with  which 
it  had  so  long  companied  upon  the  earth;  a 
naked  soul  suddenly  translated  into  the  realm 
of  spirit;  a  soul  having  no  other  power  of  sight 
than  that  which  it  had  long  refused  to  cultivate, 
a  soul  naked  and  almost  blind!  Those  w^ho 
profess  to  believe  in  things  not  visible  to  the 
senses,  and  yet  live  as  seeing  only  the  visible, 
whose  spiritual  discernment  is  the  merest  glim- 
mer, a  mote  in  the  e3^e,  of  which  they  are  scarceh^ 
conscious,  might  wisely  ask  what  plea  their 
stripped  souls  will  be  able^to  put  in  when  they 
find  themselves  in  the  presence  of  God ;  and  they 
will  be  wise,  too,  if  they  prepare  for  that  time, 
when  only  as  spirits  shall  they  exist.  Their 
servitude  to  the  senses  must  be  broken,  and  they 
must  break  it.  The  soul's  eye  must  be  culti- 
vated, an  end  to  be  secured  only  in  the  resolute 


THE  DEATH-STRUGGLE  WITH  SIN,  93 


conflicts  to  which  they  are  pledged  who  have 
entered  upon  the  way  of  purgation. 

Those  who  desire  and  resolve  to  respond  to 
the  Yoice  of  God  calling  upon  them  to  rise  to 
higher  levels  of  holy  living,  will  not  refuse  these 
battles  of  purgation.  It  is  a  hard  task  to  slap 
nature  in  the  face,  and  always  be  saying  to  it : 
Thou  shalt  not  have  that  which  thou  oughtest 
not.  It  is  a  double  task  when  we  must  deny 
the  senses  in  those  things  which  are  not  in  their 
essence  wrong.  It  is  a  triple  severity  when  we 
must  learn  to  decline  allowable  things,  siniply 
for  the  wholesome  discipline  of  the  self-denial. 
The  Christian  of  the  day  thinks  too  much  about 
allowable  comforts — the  houses  we  live  in,  the 
clothes  we  wear,  the  food  we  eat — and  we  talk, 
look,  hear,  and  labor  too  much.  It  was  Mar- 
tha's sad  error  to  concede  too  much  to  things 
not  in  themselves  sinful.  O,  what  a  hold  this 
external  world  has  on  us  !  Everything  in  these 
days  goes  by  sight  aryd  not  by  faith. 

It  is  therefore  necessary  to  clarify  the  senses, 
and  only  by  discipline  can  this  be  done.  Their 
sovereign  control  must  be  overthrown;  for  if 
we  do  not  slay  them,  they  will  slay  us.  When 
they  are  weak,  the  soul's  eye  grows  strong ; 
when  they  are  under  control,  we  begin  to  taste 


94 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


somewhat  of  the  sweetness  of  the  eternal  vision 
of  God.  As  long  as  we  are  in  the  body  pent,  we 
must  seek  to  spiritualize  the  senses  by  keeping 
them  under ;  for  just  as  the  body  has  power  to 
materialize  the  soul,  so  the  spirit  is  able  through 
mortification  to  spiritualize  the  body/'  Mor- 
tify therefore  your  members  which  are  upon  the 
earth." 

Some  helpful  precautions  are  suggested  to 
those  who  have  entered  upon  the  way  of  pur- 
gation. 

1.  They  will  find  themselves  face  to  face,  and 
at  sword's  point,  with  a  particular  sin;  one 
that  has  been  aggressive  and  uncontrollable, 
and  which  is  accurately  described  as  ^^the  sin 
that  so  easily  besets  us.''  Why  are  its  victories 
so  easily  won?  Because  it  assails  us  at  our 
weakest  point,  and  because  a  strange  fatuity 
possesses  us  to  deal  very  indulgently  with  our- 
selves just  at  the  point  where  we  have  need  to 
be  most  uncompromising.  We  can  confess  other 
frailties  with  frankness;  but  this  we  conceal  as 
though  it  were  a  friend  to  whom  we  had  sworn 
that  we  w^ould  die  rather  than  betray  him. 
Intensely  loyal  to  this  darling  fault,  we  find  a 
thousand  excuses  for  it,  and  willingly  accept  the 
deception  whereby  we  make  ourselves  believe  it 


THE  DEATH-STRUGGLE  WITH  SIN.  95 


to  have  a  leaning  to  virtue^s  side.  Now,  what- 
ever may  be  its  degree  of  turpitude,  it  involves 
us  in  the  greatest  risk ;  for  if  it  be  comparatively 
venial  in  itself  it  is  sure,  under  our  indulgent 
treatment,  to  develop  into  deadly  virulence; 
and  if  it  be  worse  than  venial  it  has  already 
done  its  fatal  work ;  for  there  can  be  no  spiritual 
life  when  the  soul  succumbs  to  mortal  sin.  Such 
a  sin  cuts  off  all  connection  with  the  source  of 
grace. 

It  is  necessary,  then,  that  a  Christian  man 
shall  honestly  and  fearlessly  seek  out  his  infirm- 
ity, so  as  to  know  where  to  apply  the  knife  of 
excision  and  the  scourge  of  discipline;  and  the 
more  so  because  grave  sins  often  conceal  them- 
selves in  one  who  is,  at  every  other  point  of 
character,  exemplary.  It  is  possible  for  a  man 
to  be  reputably  religious,  even  sincerely  so  up 
to  a  certain  point,  and  yet  be  inwardly  the 
veriest  bond-slave  to  a  passion  or  a  vice  which 
repudiates  the  authority  of  God,  and  answers 
His  mercy  with  contempt.  In  such  cases,  the 
sin  must  be  wrestled  with,  as  a  man  near  the 
brink  of  a  precipice  would  grapple  with  a  wild 
beast  w^hich  had  sprung  upon  him. 

2.  Sinful  habits  and  infirmities  are  excited 
and  aggravated  by  contact  w^ith  that  which 


96 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


occasions  them.  We  circumvent  nature  when 
we  defraud  it  of  the  occasions  which  would 
awaken  the  dormant  propensity,  and  excite  it 
to  action.  Thus,  for  example,  he  who  would 
cure  himself  of  sins  of  speech  will  attain  his  pur- 
pose by  silence.  Many  a  victory  has  been 
gained  over  sensual  instincts  by  stern  control  of 
the  eyes.  The  Nazarites,  who  might  drink  no 
wine,  were  forbidden  to  take  part  in  the  gather- 
ing in  of  the  grapes.  Why  should  you  put  your 
faith  in  peril  (the faith  that  is  the  most  powerful 
influence  for  good  that  has  moulded  your  life) 
by  reading  infidel  arguments,  whose  fallacies 
you  are  unfitted  by  education  or  ability  to 
detect?  Then,  again,  as  we  are  largely  the 
creation  of  our  companionships,  we  should 
remember  that  ^^a  friend  of  fools  shall  become 
like  unto  them.''  If  we  put  the  hand  of  a  rigid 
constraint  upon  our  associations  and  surround- 
ings, it  will  be  easier  to  train  the  will  in  habits 
of  new  obedience. 

3.  It  is  a  great  help  to  doggedly  repel  the 
first  assaults  of  sin.  It  is  easier  to  keep  the 
enemy  out  than  to  expel  him  when  he  has 
gained  entrance.  With  the  weight  of  a  finger 
one  can  stay  a  rock  poised  on  a  mountain's  top ; 
but  what  finite  power  could  control  its  momen- 


THE  DEATH-STRUGGLE  WITH  SIN. 


97 


turn  should  it  once  begin  to  roll  downward? 
We  have  learned  a  great  lesson  when  we  have 
trained  our  wills  to  resist  the  first  access  of 
temptation.  But  there  are  certain  sins,  gener- 
ally those  of  the  flesh,  whose  attacks  it  is 
unwise  to  confront  and  seek  to  face  down. 
There  is  no  safety  but  in  prompt  flight;  to 
parley  is  unsafe ;  to  withstand  is  to  increase  the 
chances  of  surrender.  Flee!  flee,  as  if  a  loath- 
some leper  were  seeking  to  embrace  you  in  his 
arms. 

4.  Those  who  are  fighting  their  way  through 
the  valley  of  purgation  may  be  so  absorbed  in 
the  strife  with  their  worst  enemies,  their  giant 
sins,  as  to  make  little  account  of  their  lesser 
foes.  Some  sins  are  more  aggravated  than 
others.  One  mortal  sin  wilfully  done  in  cold 
blood  stabs  the  baptismal  life  to  the  heart, 
and  all  spiritual  vitality  flows  from  the  cruel 
wound.  Venial  sins  strike  not  such  fatal  blows ; 
but  there  is  this  to  be  remembered — they  dispose 
the  soul  to  graver  offenses.  CareleSvSness  about 
little  faults  of  thought,  word,  and  deed  is  very 
unwise  and  dangerous;  but,  if  we  are  vigilant 
to  repress  our  infirmities  and  peccadilloes,  we 
shall  acquire  strength  for  the  more  serious 
encounters  of  the  soul.   If  it  be  true  that  no 


98 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


aspiring  soul  can  attain  the  higher  spiritual 
levels  save  by  long  processes  of  growth,  it  is 
equally  true  that  no  one  sinks  to  the  lowest 
abyss  of  sinfulness  in  a  day.  If  we  are  faithful 
in  a  little,  we  shall  be  faithful  in  much.  To  be 
invincible  in  the  great  battles  we  must  learn  to 
conquer  in  the  skirmishes. 

5.  One  of  the  most  difficult  forms  of  sin  to 
overcome  is  pride,  and  it  is  among  the  last  to 
succumb.  He  who  thinks  he  has  none  does  not 
know  w^hat  it  is.  For  every  struggle  with  sen- 
sual sin,  he  will  have  ten  with  self-conceit.  Self- 
love  is  ever  burning  to  make  something  out  of 
nothing,  forgetful  that  whatever  w^e  have  was 
given  us.  Humility  is  the  virtue  which  follows 
from  a  true  estimate  of  our  value.  What  is  my 
valuation  as  a  Christian,  in  the  sight  of  God, 
He  measuring  me  as  I  am,  by  the  standard  of 
His  law  ?  He  who  is  omniscient  and  does  not 
forget!  He  who  has  intuitive  and  infallible 
knowledge  of  me!  When  we  consider  what  He 
is,  and,  then,  what  we  are,  in  the  scale  of  being, 
in  the  scale  of  power — as  for  example  in  the 
realm  of  astronomical  immensity — *^what  is 
man,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him?  and  the 
son  of  man,  that  Thou  visitest  him?''  When 
we  consider  our  distance  from  Him,  in  the  scale 


THE  DEATH-STRUGGLE  WITH  SIN.  99 


of  moral  being,  we  perceive  that  at  his  best 
estate  man  could  have  been  no  more  than  a 
finite  reflection  of  His  infinite  holiness.  But 
when  we  contemplate  our  condition  as  fallen 
intelligences,  we  clearly  discover  that  we  have 
destroyed  the  very  unit  of  measurement  by 
which  a  sinless  creature  could  be  compared 
with  Him.  There  is  no  difficulty  thus  far. 
Intellectual  humility  is  the  inevitable  result  of 
recognition  of  a  Supreme  Being. 

But  when  w^e  attempt  to  convince  ourselves 
of  our  spiritual  nothingness  before  God,  and  to 
bring  our  thoughts  and  lives  into  practical  and 
consistent  conformity  with  this  conviction,  we 
encounter  the  most  difficult  task  of  the  Chris- 
tian life.  And  yet  humility  is  the  only  attitude 
which  the  facts  justify.  When  one  considers 
what  he  has  been  in  all  his  past  years  in  his 
relation  to  his  God,  he  finds  no  ground  for  self- 
laudation;  on  the  contrary,  he  should  shrink 
with  horror  from  the  accusations  of  memory. 
He  ought  further  to  consider  what  he  might 
have  been  if  he  had  lived  up  to  his  oppor- 
tunities, and  responded  as  he  ought  to  the 
influences  with  which  God  ever  sought  to  win 
him  away  from  the  devices  and  desires  of  his 
own  heart.    Well  may  he  deplore  the  present 


100 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


surviving  effect  upon  him  of  that  past,  so  full  of 
folly  and  sin  and  self-sufficiency ;  and  well  may 
he  exclaim  with  Job:  ''Thou  writest  bitter 
things  against  me,  Thou  makest  me  to  possess 
the  iniquities  of  my  youth. When  he  con- 
siders further  the  humiliating  fact  that  he  has 
nothing  that  he  has  not  received,  and  that  one 
of  the  signal  blessings  with  which  God  favors 
him  is  the  grace  of  restraint,  whereby  all  the 
possibilities  of  sin  (which  still  lurk  in  the  recesses 
of  his  soul)  are  repressed,  and  that  if  God's 
loving  power  were  lifted  for  an  hour  he  would 
drop  to  the  old  level  of  sinfulness,  what  right  or 
reason  has  pride  to  retain  its  place  in  his  heart 
any  longer  ? 

No  right;  no  reason.  But  the  usurpation 
has  a  cause.  The  basic  fact  of  our  estate  as 
fallen  men  is  that  each  man  is,  in  a  sense,  his 
own  god.  We  are  self-centered,  we  are  enslaved 
to  self-love,  we  habitually  form  false  estimates 
of  our  value;  and  even  when  we  have  been 
brought  under  the  tutelage  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it 
is  easier  to  practise  faith,  love,  gratitude,  and 
consecration,  than  humility.  Humility  is,  oh,  so 
long  in  coming,  and  so  hard  to  keep ;  and  when 
pride  sometimes  appears  to  relax  its  horrible 
octopus  grip  on  the  soul,  it  straightway  pro- 


THE  DEATH-STRUGGLE  WITH  SIN. 


101 


ceeds  to  take  a  firmer  grasp  with  its  deadly 
tentaculse.  The  one  sole  force  stronger  than 
pride  is  perseverance.  He  who  has  turned  his 
face  like  a  flint  towards  humility,  which  is 
the  foundation  of  all  the  virtues,*  must  never 
turn  back.  ^*  Wheresoever  thou  findest  thyself, 
renounce  thyself^'  (Thomas  a  Kempis).  There 
is  no  gift  God  so  loves  to  bestovv^  as  spiritual 
humility,  and  none  so  difficult  to  accept ;  but  the 
diflSculty  diminishes  in  proportion  as  we  make 
ourselves  over  more  and  more  into  the  loving 
custody  of  God,  in  whose  presence  the  lofty 
valuation  we  have  put  upon  ourselves  becomes 
petty  and  contemptible.  It  is  by  habitually 
abiding  at  His  feet  that  we  are  impressed  and 
overwhelmed  with  the  exceeding  sinfulness  of 
pride.  It  is  by  following  in  the  blessed  steps  of 
our  Saviour  that  we  learn  the  very  great  beauty 
and  value  of  humility;  for  every  step  of  His 


Prayer  is  the  self-abasement  of  man,  who  acknowl- 
edges his  profound  misery  and  the  infinite  greatness  of  Him 
whom  he  adores  and  prays  to,  expecting  all  from  God, 
nothing  from  himself.  Faith  is  the  humility  of  human 
reason,  renouncing  its  own  thoughts,  accepting  with  sub- 
mission the  thoughts  of  God,  and  the  authority  of  His 
Church.  Obedience  is  the  humility  of  the  will  subjecting 
itself  to  another  will.  Chastity  is  the  humility  of  the  flesh, 
which  becomes  subject  to  the  spirit.  Exterior  mortification 
is  the  humility  of  the  senses.  Penitence  is  the  humility  of  all 
the  passions  which  it  immolates."  Love  for  God  is  the 
humility  which  owns  that  there  is  no  basis  for  self-love. 


102 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


incarnate  progress,  from  His  conception  to  His 
ascension,  is  described  in  the  words,  *^He  hum- 
bled Himself.'^ 

The  persevering  practice  of  meekness  and 
lowliness  of  heart,  not  thinking  more  highly  of 
one's  self  than  one  ought,  in  honor  preferring 
others  to  one's  self,  will  after  awhile  develop 
into  the  supernatural  grace  of  the  love  of  humil- 
ity. This  is  the  triumph  of  truth ;  for  humility 
consists  in  seeing  things  as  they  are.  When 
pride  is  so  far  conquered  as  to  make  room  for  a 
sincere  recognition  of  one's  true  value  before 
God ;  and  when  the  soul  pays  the  homage  to 
truth  of  being  willing  and  glad  to  pass  in  the 
estimate  of  others  for  just  the  value  which  it 
has  in  God's  sight;  and  when  one  feels  that  he 
who  deserves  his  own  contempt  deserves  also 
that  of  his  fellow  men,  true  humility  has  set  up 
its  quiet  reign  in  the  heart,  and  the  peace  of  God 
which  passeth  all  understanding  has  entered 
that  soul. 

6.  An  earnest  soul,  struggling  to  purge  itself 
from  sins,  will  welcome  the  results  of  the  experi- 
ence of  others  who  have  found  the  greatest 
possible  help,  and  strength,  and  stimulus,  by 
devoutly  contemplating  the  goodness  of  God. 
Nothing  so  excites  to   repentance.  Nothing 


THE  DEATH-STRUGGLE  WITH  SIN,  103 


throws  so  much  light  on  the  meanness  and 
mahgnity  of  sin.  God  is  essential  goodness; 
He  is  good  essentially,  and  good  communi- 
catively. There  is  that  in  Him  which  makes 
Him  happy  in  Himself,  and  happy  in  making 
others  happy.  He  cannot  but  have  an  interest 
in  His  creatures,  and  help  them  lead  a  holy  and 
happy  life ;  and  all  that  He  does  for  them  ought 
to  have  that  effect.  If  we  are  unhappy  or  in 
trouble,  others  (probably  ourselves)  have  been 
trying  to  regulate  things. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


XTbe  practice  ot  Self^ScruUni?* 

Eleven  Words  of  Counsel  for  Those  Who  Would 
Know  Themselves. 

^^LL  Martha-like  Christians  need  to  find 
themselves  out.  Painful  though  the  duty 
may  be,  it  will  prove  most  salutary  to  those 
who  long  for  a  nobler  life,  and  are  resolved  to 
gain  it,  if  they  acquire  the  art  of  habitual  self- 
examination.  When  we  lie  down  at^night  our 
minds  almost  spontaneously  make  a  survey  of 
the  day  that  has  passed ;  and  we  are  quite  cer- 
tain to  recall  the  events  that  have  displeased  us, 
and  the  words  that  have  hurt  our  pride.  If 
anyone  has  spoken  us  harshly,  or  crossed  our 
path,  or  inflicted  injury  upon  us,  we  live  it  all 
over  again  in  painful  retrospection,  and  renew 
the  pain  we  felt  before.  But  why  should  we 
stop  at  this  ?   Have  we  not  erred  and  strayed 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  SELF-SCRUTINY, 


105 


from  Go4's  way  like  lost  sheep  ?  Have  we  not 
wilftillj  preferred  the  devices  and  desires  of  our 
own  hearts?  Have  we  not  pierced  some  soul 
with  an  unkind  word?  Have  we  not  surren- 
dered to  some  unholy  passion  ?  Let  us  turn  the 
searchlight  of  God's  law  upon  our  consciences 
to  see  if  there  be  any  evil  way  in  us. 

1.  No  Christian  man  can  safely  neglect  this 
duty.  If  we  judge  ourselves  we  shall  not  be 
judged;  if  we  condemn  ourselves  we  shall  not 
be  condemned.  He  who  practises  daily  exami- 
nation in  the  presence  of  God  will  never  lose  his 
soul  through  impenitence.  Let  him  rehearse  the 
Commandments,  one  by  one,  and  ask  whether 
he  has  kept  this  law;  or,  let  him  compare  his 
life  through  the  day  with  the  Lord's  Prayer;  or, 
let  him  measure  himself  by  his  threefold  baptis- 
mal vow.  Renunciation,  Faith,  Obedience;  or, 
let  him  take  the  Beatitudes  for  a  test  of  his 
soul;  or,  let  him  carefully  go  over  the  Seven 
Mortal  Sins,  pride,  covetousness,  luxury  or  lust, 
anger,  gluttony,  envy,  sloth;  or,  let  him  read 
the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  compare  him- 
self with  His  immaculate  life. 

2.  Unless  the  scrutiny  is  careless  and  super- 
ficial, he  will  avoid  the  folly  of  a  general  con- 
clusion that  he  has  left  undone  those  things 


106 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


which  he  ought  to  have  done,  and  done  those 
things  which  he  ought  not  to  have  done.  What 
things?  Particularize!  Get  at  the  concrete 
facts,  and  give  not  self-righteousness  the  benefit 
of  a  doubt.  You  are  not  likely  to  put  too  much 
shadow  in  the  picture.  As  no  chain  is  stronger 
than  its  weakest  link,  we  must  seek  the  latter 
out.  Some  particular  sin  has  a  predominant 
power  over  us;  in  one  it  is  an  uncontrolled 
appetite,  in  another  a  wretched  temper,  a  sensi- 
tive self-love,  a  mania  for  acquisition,  a  censor- 
ious tongue  or  a  cowardly  fear  of  men.  Faith- 
ful self-examination  will  soon  reveal  to  each  one 
his  weakest  point;  and  will  at  the  same  time 
show  him  that  this  cannot  be  separated  from 
other  faults,  since  it  will  be  found  to  be  the 
occasion  of  almost  every  sin  which  he  commits. 
It  will  be  comparatively  eas^^  to  overcome  them 
when  he  has  conquered  this.  If  the  head  of 
Goliath  is  cut  off,  the  other  Philistines  may  be 
routed. 

3.  Self-scrutiny  should  not  be  confined  to 
outward  acts.  These  are  only  the  outcome  of 
inward  states  of  sin ;  we  do  what  we  are.  Sin 
is  not  an  abstract  term.  Sin  is  I,  sinning.  Sin 
is  I,  with  my  hard  inward  indisposition  towards 
God  constantly  expressed  in  my  actions,  and 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  SELF-SCRUTINY.  107 


exceptionally  active  when  I  am  trying  to  live 
unto  God.  But  there  are  possibilities  within  us 
which  we  have  never  carried  into  deeds  or 
words.  What  manner  of  men  would  we  be  had 
we  always  acted  our  thoughts  ?  The  revealing 
light  of  the  law  must  be  turned  upon  our 
spiritual  motives  and  states,  and  upon  all  the 
defects  of  our  relation  to  God.  It  were  idle  to 
spend  time  in  cutting  down  weeds  unless  we  go 
down  to  the  roots  to  extirpate  them ;  and  this, 
not  only  that  they  may  be  destroyed,  but  that 
opportunity  may  be  afforded  the  seeds,  flowers, 
and  fruits  of  a  better  life  to  grow  in  their  place. 
Our  duty  is  like  that  which  the  Lord  put 
upon  Jeremiah:  ^^See,  I  have  this  day  set  thee 
*  *  *  *  to  destroy  and  to  throw 
down,  to  build  and  to  plant.'' 

4.  We  must  consider  the  frequency  of  omis- 
sion or  commission,  as  well  as  the  circumstances 
of  time  or  place  which  may  have  aggravated  a 
given  sin. 

5.  It  is  further  necessary  to  inquire  whether 
we  have  shared  in  the  sins  of  others,  or  encour- 
aged others  to  sin. 

6.  And  all  self-examination  must  be  thorough 
and  radical.  Superficiality  is  neither  manly  nor 
effective.   Intimate  knowledge  of  one's  self  is 


108 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


the  only  knowledge  worthy  of  the  name;  for  it 
is  only  by  this  process  of  spiritual  reconnois- 
sance  that  the  soul  learns  where  it  is  weak,  and 
where  to  apply  the  instruments  of  assault  and 
conquest.  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  is  to 
be  assured  that  our  self-vScrutiny  is  honest, 
simple  and  ingenuous.  This  is  jdue  to  the 
duplicity  of  the  heart — the  extent  of  which  no 
man  can  or  will  believe  until  experience  con- 
vinces him ;  and  the  misery  of  it  all  is  that  the 
very  heart  which  sincerely  desires  to  know  the 
worst,  will  often  catch  itself  trying  to  put  the 
best  construction  on  its  acts  and  states.  But 
the  earnest  soul,  hungering  to  live  nearer  to 
God,  wall  welcome  any  test,  no  matter  how 
heroic  it  may  be.  It  were  better  to  be  con- 
sciously filled  with  self  than  to  think  without 
truth  that  we  are  empty.  Am  I  reall^^  at 
sword's  point  with  myself  because  of  my 
spiritual  sloth,  the  weak  grasp  of  m^^  faith 
upon  God,  my  facility  of  yielding  to  sin?  Do  I 
in  reality  despise  myself?  Do  I  despise  myself, 
not  only  for  positive  acts  w^hich  are  sinful,  but 
for  the  aversion  of  my  will  from  God  which  is 
the  inward  cause  of  these  acts  ? 

O,  my  soul,  when  thou  seest  that  another 
entertains  a  dislike  for  thee,  does  it  arouse 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  SELF-SCRUTINY.  109 


resentment,  or,  dost  thou  say,  it  is  only  my 
due? 

O,  my  soul,  when  thy  good  is  evil  spoken  of, 
when  thy  motives  are  impugned,  when  thy 
peculiarities  are  ridiculed,  when  thy  service  is 
depreciated,  when  thy  kindness  is  answered 
thanklessness,  art  thou  more  deeply  w^ounded 
than  w^hen  thou  makest  confession  to  thy  God 
of  all  the  evil  that  thy  good  is  mixed  with,  and 
of  all  the  self-love  which  taints  that  which  thou 
callest  thy  good  ? 

O,  my  soul,  dost  thou  really  despise  thyself, 
if  thou  canst  not  bear  that  others  shall  despise 
thee  ?  Can  that  be  true  humility  in  the  presence 
of  God  which  is  pride  in  the  presence  of  man  ? 

It  is  said  of  a  master  in  the  spiritual  life  that 
when  he  wished  to  test  the  interior  state  of 
another  he  simply  tested  his  humility,  offering 
the  person  in  question  some  mark  of  contempt. 
If  he  found  him  proof  against  this  touchstone, 
he  at  once  inferred  that  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
there.  Is  it  necessary  that  another  shall  exer- 
cise this  discipline  upon  us  ?  Why  shall  we  not 
be  our  own  tormentors?  If  we  do  indeed 
hunger  to  make  advances  towards  spiritual 
union  with  God,  we  will  set  our  faces  like  a 
flint  against  high  estimates  of  ourselves,  and 


110 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


squarely  test  our  humility.  Apply  some  simple 
proof,  and  note  the  result.  We  shall  thus  find 
ourselves  out,  and  shall  learn  that  self-knowl- 
edge and  self-contempt  are  inseparables.^^ 

7.  Moreover,  this  duty  of  self-scrutiny  must 
be  discharged  in  the  very  presence  of  the  All- 
Seeing  Eye,  and  with  prayer  that  He  may  send 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  convince  us  of  sin;  for  the 
Father  of  Spirits  is  concerned  for  His  children 
that  they  be  not  self-deceived.  Grace  is  illumin- 
ative, and  reveals  to  us  what  we  are,  provided 
we  seek  to  know  in  all  the  lowliness  of  a  soul 
that  wants  to  know  the  worst.  Our  Divine 
Lord  has  the  deepest  sympathy  with  us;  for 
was  He  not  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  with- 
out sin,  as  we  are  not?  He  put  His  unsullied 
humanity  into  the  very  vortex  of  the  world ;  He 
wept  every  tear  we  can  weep  but  the  tear  of 
repentance;  He  knows  that  we  are  but  dust; 
and  hence  He  is  intensely  sympathetic  when  we 
would  discover  what  manner  of  men  we  are. 

8.  Self-examination  should  be  a  daily  duty, 
and  at  a  time,  either  morning,  or  evening,  or 
both,  when  other  things  do  not  press  upon  us. 
Deliberation  is  essential  to  so  judicial  a  task, 
and  this  requires  the  mind  to  be  free  from  dis- 
traction.  Less  time  will  be  required  when  all 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  SELF-SCRUTINY.  Ill 


the  time  is  continuously^  occupied.  Five  min- 
utes of  concentration  are  better  than  an  hour 
of  inattention  and  wandering. 

9.  But  this  duty  is  one  that  covers  a  wider 
territory  than  the  day  that  is  just  ended.  What 
we  are  is  the  product  of  what  we  have  been; 
nor  can  we  fully  know  our  present  selves  unless 
we  examine  ourselves  historically.  That  weary 
cry  of  almost  despair  w^hen  you  come  to  see 
how  slight  your  progress,  how  unsubdued  your 
besetting  sin,  how  immeasurable  the  distance 
between  the  stormy  seas  where  you  are  tossing, 
and  the  haven  of  peace  where  you  would  be — 
that  weary  cry  is  but  the  echo  of  other  years, 
the  sad  minor  tone  of  the  sinful  long  ago.  We 
could  all  be  saints  but  for  the  former  iniquities. 
Had  we  fought  the  battles  of  purgation  then, 
our  present  conflict  would  not  now  be  so 
severe.  The  sting  of  guilt,  or  exposure  to  end- 
less penalties,  may  have  been  taken  from  us  by 
the  pierced  hand  of  the  Lord,  and  it  cost  Him 
His  life  to  do  it;  but  He  did  not  obliterate  the 
old  sins  from  our  memory,  nor  their  influence 
from  our  present  life.  That  hard,  stony  prefer- 
ence in  the  breast  for  our  way,  our  wish,  our 
interests,  our  views,  our  wisdom,  our  comfort, 
our  position,  is  just  the  hard,  stony  preference 


112 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


that  we  cherished  in  youth,  only  grown  harder, 
stonier,  by  long  indulgence,  and  by  palliative 
treatment  when  the  surgeon's  knife  was  what 
the  case  demanded.  That  past  is  telling  on 
this  present.  To  judge  what  we  are,  we  must 
remember  what  we  have  been.  Remember  what 
we  were  when  we  were  least  willing  to  be  good, 
and  most  bound  in  the  chains  of  sinful  habit; 
and  then  let  memory  remind  us,  Thou  art  the 
man.''  God's  providence  may  have  disciplined 
and  His  grace  delivered  us;  He  may  have 
wrought  great  changes  since  those  sad  years; 
but  strike  out  all  that  He  has  done  within  us, 
and  w^hat  remainder  is  there  save  that  same 
hard,  stony  heart,  and  that  wretched  capacity 
of  preferring  everything  to  God  ? 

10.  In  these  processes  of  self-scrutiny  we  are 
in  danger  if  we  lose  sight  of  their  purpose,  which 
is  not  so  much  to  determine  infallibly  what  we 
are,  as  to  ascertain  what  we  have  done,  or  left 
undone.  Only  Omniscience  knows  and  can 
know  us  truly.  God  has  not  promised  to  show 
us  this  knowledge,  nor  is  there  any  evidence 
that  He  does  so ;  for  the  men  who,  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  Church,  are  the  very  flower  of  her 
sainthood,  do  uniformly  characterize  themselves 
in  terms  w^hich  are  relieved  from  the  suspicion  of 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  SELF-SCRUTINY,  113 


unreality  only  by  the  conviction  we  have,  that 
the  nearer  they  approach  the  ineffable  purity  of 
God,  the  more  base  and  inexcusable  do  their 
sins  appear  to  be.  S.  Augustine  was  weeping 
over  the  sins  of  his  youth  when  he  died.  How^ 
much  more  eloquent  of  his  sanctity  those  tears, 
than  would  have  been  a  recital  of  his  graces! 
The  only  conscious  saint  recorded  in  scripture 
was  one  who  prayed,/^  God,  I  thank  Thee  that 
I  am  not  as  other  men.'^  Beware  of  analyzing 
yourself;  be  content  to  scrutinize,  which  is 
really  all  that  you  have  the  power  to  do,  except 
that  you  may  cast  yourself,  with  every  sin 
which  scrutiny  has  revealed,  at  the  feet  of  God. 
And  this  is  all  that  He  asks  of  us ;  He  is  content 
with  little  because  He  knows  we  have  not  much 
to  give. 

11.  The  influence  of  God  is  so  mysteriously 
braided  into  the  lives  of  His  children,  and  made 
a  part  of  them,  that  it  is  not  possible  to  distin- 
guish the  Divine  and  the  human  working;  but 
we  may  rest  assured  that  when  we  abandon 
ourselves  to  His  keeping,  He  is  the  inspiring 
source  of  the  dissatisfaction  we  shall  then  feel 
when  we  scrutinize  our  spiritual  condition.  His 
is  the  most  active  agency  in  the  unfolding  his- 
tory of  our  souls.   Your  dissatisfactions  are 


114 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


painful ;  but  study  them  well,  and  you  will  dis- 
cover that  they  are  the  whisper  of  a  still,  small 
voice.    **Just  as  men  that  would  see  the  stars 
at  noonday  look  not  into  the  heavens  above 
them,  but  down  into  some  deep,  dark  well,  gaze 
with  fixed  eye  down  into  the  depths  of  that 
spirit  of  yours  where  God's  Spirit  abides;  and 
though  at  first  you  may  vSee  nothing  but  its  own 
cold  water,  look  and  ever  look,  and  you  will  see 
at  last,  glimmering  and  shimmering  beneath  its 
surface,  tremulous  light  points,  the  shadows  of 
the  stars/'    So  you  have  only  to  study  your 
soul's  sins  and  sorrows  closely  to  see  how  much 
God  has  to  do  with  your  life.  Theheart-broken- 
ness  which  comes  upon  you  when  you  see  what 
you  are,  and  w^hat  you  might  have  been — study 
it  long,  and  you  will  see  in  it  the  shadow  of 
the  stars.   Those  disappointments  which  came 
when  you  tried  to  satisfy  your  conscience  with 
outward  activities — study  them  with  fixed  gaze, 
and  they  will  show  you  the  shadow  of  the  stars. 
Those  painful   struggles    whereby  you  have 
striven  to  burst  away  from  your  meaner  self, 
struggles  that  have  wrenched  the  very  fiber  of 
your  being — gaze  long  upon  them,  and  you  will 
see  in  them  also  the  shadow  of  the  stars. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


*"t  Will  Hdse  an&  qo  to  /IDp  jfatber/' 

The  Elements  of  Repentance— Its  Seat  in  The  Will, 
Not  in  the  Feelings— The  Simplicity  of  a  Sincere 
Repentance. 

^^^HE  Christian  who  has  resolved  to  rise  to  a 
higher  plane  of  life  cannot  rest  in  the  dis- 
coveries which  attend  self-scrutiny;  his  heart 
will  melt  into  penitence.  As  there  can  be  no 
repentance  without  knowledge  of  sin,  there  can 
be  no  spiritual  progress  without  repentance. 

Repentance  is  a  complex  act.  The  awakened 
disciple  perceives  his  condition,  his  departure 
from  inner  contact  with  God,  his  servitude  to 
self,  his  pride,  his  ingratitude ;  and  is  penetrated 
with  sorrow  that  he  could  have  been  so  weak 
as  to  rest  in  the  service  of  God  rather  than  in 
God  Himself.  He  contemplates  with  dismay 
the  fact  that  his  sin  has  been  the  defiance  of 


116 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


Infinite  Majesty  and  Power;  he  dwells  with 
weeping  heart  upon  the  grief  with  which  God 
must  regard  his  reversal  of  the  established  order 
and  precedence  of  duties,  and  he  asks  himself: 
If  God  form  His  opinion  of  me  from  my  prefer- 
ences, which  are  the  repudiation  of  His  first 
and  great  commandment,  where  shall  I  find 
myself  when  He  comes  for  righteous  judgment  ? 
What  a  perilous  condition  am  I  in,  with  death 
not  far  away,  and  the  things  that  come  after 
death!  And  this  folly  of  mine  has  been  the 
response  of  my  base  ingratitude  to  the  good- 
ness which  has  heaped  blessings  on  my  head; 
by  such  mockery  of  love  has  the  child  answered 
back  the  Father  who  has  carried  me  in  His 
arms,  breathed  His  spirit  into  my  heart,  and 
illustrated  in  my  case  the  divineness  of  His 
invincible  patience ! 

When  the  sense  of  sin  and  sorrow  for  it  are 
real,  the  soul,  vacillating  between  fear  and  hope, 
finds  its  way  to  the  feet  of  God  to  pour  out  its 
confession.  There  is  no  difficulty  about  confes- 
sion when  the  soul  is  humiliated  by  a  true  and 
deep  contrition.  I  acknowledge  my  faults  and 
my  sin  is  ever  before  me.  Against  Thee  only 
have  I  sinned  and  done  this  evil  in  Thy  sight. 
Repentance  is  not  worthy  of  the  name  without 


I  WILL  ARISE  AND  GO  TO  MY  FATHER:'  117 


confession ;  for  he  who  comes  to  the  knowledge 
of  sins  only  to  conceal  them,  augments  their 
turpitude.  It  is  necessary  that  Christian  peo- 
ple should  take  heed  to  this,  because  so  great 
has  been  the  prejudice  against  confession  to  God 
in  the  presence  of  one  of  His  commissioned 
embassadors,  that  the  idea  of  confession  as  of 
the  very  essence  and  texture  of  an  honest  repent- 
ance, has  been  lost  to  view ;  and  a  sense  of  regret 
or  sorrow,  more  often  superficial  than  profound, 
has  come  to  be  regarded  as  suflficient ;  whereas 
such  a  repentance  needeth  to  be  repented  of ;  it 
can  only  displease  God,  and  bring  leanness  to 
the  soul.  The  conditions  of  Divine  forgiveness 
are  fixed  and  immutable.  There  can  be  no 
pardon  by  the  Cross  without  repentance,  and 
there  is  no  repentance  without  confession. 
Moreover,  confession,  like  self-examination, 
must  be  particular;  it  should  specify  the  sins 
and  the  occasions  of  them,  their  numbers  and 
aggravations;  and  guilty  is  he  who  wilfully 
refrains  from  uncovering  all  his  burden  to  God^s 
eye,  humiliating  though  it  may  be  to  do  it. 
Humiliation  will  not  deter  him  w^ho  has  a  real 
sense  of  sin ;  on  the  contrary,  such  an  one  can- 
not choose  but  prostrate  himself  in  abjection 
before  God;  indeed,  there  wall  be  a  joy  in  doing 


118 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


it  which  will  brighten  the  gloom  of  his  soul.  A 
real  penitent  seeks  humiliation,  and  hastens  to 
make  bare  his  soul  to  God  !  If  he  is  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God's  priest,  that  can  add  very  little  to 
it.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  given  holy  oppor- 
tunities in  His  Church,  and  has  clothed  His 
embassadors  with  delegated  powers  of  absolu- 
tion, as  He  has  authorized  them  also  to  baptize 
and  confirm  and  celebrate  the  Holy  Communion 
in  His  Name;  and  those  who  make  use  of  the 
full  privileges  of  the  Church,  testify  to  the  larger 
blessings  and  richer  graces  which  they  there- 
by secure.  It  remains  true,  however,  for  all, 
whether  they  ^^open  their  grief  according  to 
the  mind  of  the  Church  or  not,  that  the  peni- 
tent soul  must  make  a  clean  breast  to  God  as 
the  evidence  of  its  honest  sorrow  for  half- 
hearted discipleship. 

But  there  are  other  elements  of  a  true  repent- 
ance. Our  Divine  Saviour  has  made  a  full,  per- 
fect and  sufficient  satisfaction  for  sin,  in  the 
sense  that  He  has  lifted  from  us  our  liability  to 
eternal  pain,  and  placed  us  in  the  way  of  being 
saved;  but  as  His  death  doth  not  exempt  us 
from  death.  His  satisfaction  works  not  our  dis- 
charge from  the  immediate  consequences  of  our 
sins,  but  rather  supplies  to  our  pardoned  souls 


I  WILL  ARISE  AND  GO  TO  MY  FATHERS  119 


the  privilege  of  making  some  loving  reparation 
for  the  sins  where v^ith  v^e  have  made  Him  to 
motirn.  There  are  satisfactions  v^^hich,  through 
the  merit  of  the  Cross,  v^^e  should  render  to  God, 
and  which  in  loving  penitence  we  should  hasten 
to  offer  as  the  tokens  of  our  gratitude.  What 
are  they?  what  return  shall  we  make  for  God's 
absolving  love?  what  pronounced  evidence  shall 
we  offer  of  the  sincerity  of  our  repentance  ?  The 
nature  of  these  thankful  returns  is  represented 
by  many  acts,  such  as  self-denial,  self-repression, 
and  self-abandonment  to  God  at  any  cost. 
Their  number  cannot  be  reckoned.  Penitent 
love,  soothed  to  peace  by  His  pardon,  will  find 
a  thousand  w^ays  of  proving  itself;  but  all  these 
will  be  found  to  fall  under  three  generic  classes, 
namely :  alms,  fasting,  and  prayer. 

Fasting  stands  for  all  forms  of  cross-bearing, 
all  acts  of  discipline,  and  all  mortifications  of 
the  flesh  and  the  fleshly  soul. 

Alms  represent  all  good  works,  whether 
spiritual  or  temporal. 

Prayer  includes  all  those  states  of  the  soul 
which  own  the  supremacy  of  the  Divine  will,  and 
the  aflSuence  of  the  Divine  benignity,  and  which 
aspire  to  union  with  God  as  the  acme  of  spirit- 
ual progress. 


120 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


As  sin  is  an  injury  done  to  God,  our  neighbor, 
and  ourselves,  we  honor  God  by  prayer,  we 
make  reparation  to  our  neighbor  by  alms,  and 
we  humble  ourselves  by  fasting. 

That  these  are  necessary  elements  of  real 
repentance  is  evident.  We  cannot  conceive  how 
the  publican  could  have  refused  to  cry:  *^God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner;'^  or  how  she  who 
ministered  so  lavishly  to  the  Person  of  her  Lord 
could  have  loved  little  when  she  had  been  for- 
given so  much;  or  how  S.  Paul  could  have 
spared  his  body,  knowing  that  if  he  crucified 
not  the  flesh,  the  flesh  would  crucify  him. 

Two  words  of  caution  are  here  suggested  : 

1.  As  no  evangelical  virtue  touches  the  foun- 
tains of  emotion  more  quickl}^  than  repentance, 
it  is  important  to  distinguish  between  the 
action  of  the  will,  and  the  activity  of  the 
feelings.  Repentance  has  its  seat  in  the  will 
which  freely  acts  by  choice,  and  conformably  to 
reasonable  motives.  It  is  a  change  of  moral 
direction,  a  reversal  of  the  controlUng  principle 
of  life.  The  validitj^  of  repentance  has  no  refer- 
ence whatever  to  the  emotions,  nor  are  these 
any  criterion  of  our  relations  with  God.  Wisely 
saith  Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor :  ^^The  expression 
of  this  sorrow  [for  sin]  differs  according  to  the 


I  WILL  ARISE  AND  GO  TO  MY  FATHER:'  121 


temper  of  the  body,  the  sex,  the  age,  and  circum- 
stance of  action,  and  the  motive  of  sorrow,  and 
by  many  accidental  tendernesses  or  masculine 
hardnesses;  and  the  repentance  is  not  to  be 
estimated  by  the  tears  but  by  the  grief;  and  the 
grief  is  to  be  valued,  not  by  the  sensitive  trouble, 
but  by  the  cordial  hatred  of  the  sin,  and  ready 
actual  dereliction  of  it,  and  a  resolution,  and 
real  resisting  its  consequent  temptations.  Some 
people  can  shed  tears  for  nothing,  some  for  any- 
thing; but  the  proper  and  true  effects  of  a  godly 
sorrow  are,  fear  of  the  Divine  judgments,  appre- 
hension of  God^s  displeasure,  watchings  and 
strivings  against  sin,  patiently  enduring  the 
cross  of  sorrow  (which  God  sends  as  their  pun- 
ishment), in  accusation  of  ourselves,  in  per- 
petually begging  pardon,  in  mean  and  base 
opinions  of  ourselves,  and  in  all  the  natural 
productions  from  these,  according  to  our  tem- 
per and  constitution/' 

2.  All  interior  activity  of  the  spirit  must  be 
characterized  by  simplicity ;  and  this  is  particu- 
larly true  of  a  sincere  repentance.  We  should 
fall  down  before  God  with  weepings  of  the  will 
(let  the  emotions  be  what  the^^  may),  and  with 
the  naturalness  of  children  who  are  sorry  that 
they  have  done  wrong.    There  are  doubtless 


122 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


many  Christian  people  overmuch  inclined  to 
the  conventional  standard  of  attainment  in 
spiritual  living,  who  esteem  the  higher  levels  as 
fanciful  and  affected,  limited  to  a  certain  type  of 
sentimental,  but  not  over  forcible,  people;  and 
the^^  prefer  not  to  attempt  to  climb  Zion's  hill 
on  stilts.  But  they  ought  to  consider  that  the 
high-flying  people  whom  they  have  in  mind,  and 
whom  we  have  all  met,  caricature  rather  than 
represent  the  closer  approaches  of  the  soul  to 
God.  There  is  nothing  romantic  in  a  child  of 
God  trying  to  be  good.  Some  one  has  said: 
**to  pray  well,  nothing  is  required  but  the  sim- 
ple heart  of  an  old  woman. The  King  of  kings 
must  be  reverenced  and  adored ;  but  the  children 
of  a  King  may  rest  upon  the  King's  bosom. 
Nothing  pleases  the  King  more  than  the  sim- 
plicity and  artlessness  of  His  children.  He 
would  have  us  come  to  Him  with  singleness  of 
heart,  resting  the  burden  of  all  our  being  on  His 
most  sure  Word,  trusting  the  matter  of  our 
progress  to  Him  without  embarrassment,  with- 
out a  doubt  or  fear,  nay,  rather  with  a  calm 
assurance  upon  which  we  could  stake  our  lives. 

Holy  men,  who  have  traversed  this  path, 
teach  us  that  if  we  would  make  a  good  repent- 
ance we  must  be  as  children.    A  simple  heart 


I  WILL  ARISE  AND  GO  TO  MY  FATHER.''  123 


will  do  the  one  thing  that  ought  to  be  done. 
Martha  made  a  sad  revelation  of  what  she  had 
been,  for  a  life-time  perhaps,  when  she  was  so 
careful  and  troubled  about  many  things ;  when 
her  distracted  will  failed  to  rest  strongly  in  that 
one  thing  needful  which  her  childlike  sister  had 
chosen.  This  is  very  necessary  to  be  consid- 
ered; for  most  people  live  under  conditions 
which  fiercely  tempt  them  to  spend  themselves 
in  many  directions,  and  these  temptations 
usually  assault  them  with  rare  success.  How 
many  separate  interests  appeal  to  them,  and 
how  their  time  and  strength  is  frittered  away 
upon  them  !  Besides  their  legitimate  vocation, 
there  are  all  the  social  duties,  the  lectures  to 
hear  and  the  books  to  be  read,  the  visits  to  be 
made,  the  dinners  to  eat,  the  excursions,  the 
concerts,  the  plays  ;  until  life  becomes  an  intoxi- 
cation, a  whirl,  with  no  predominant  end  or  aim 
standing  out  in  relief.  Thus  the  precious  bloom 
of  a  simple  heart  is  shaken  to  the  earth  by  the 
turbulence  of  an  aimless  life.  The  prevalent 
degeneration  of  strong  individuality  is  due  to 
the  squandering  of  force  on  such  a  variet3^  of 
interests,  unfitting  people  for  real  earnestness 
in  any  one  direction.  As  the  mode  now  dic- 
tates, they  must  dabble  in  ever^^  new  theory. 


124 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


chase  every  fresh  sensation,  skim  the  surface  of 
every  brand  new  philosophy,  run  after  every 
latest  demi-god,  and  thus  make  themselves 
abject  slaves  of  the  transitory,  morally  inver- 
tebrate, intellectually  of  the  standard  of  the 
trashy  novel.  The  inevitable  result  is  that 
character  is  all  surface.  There  is  a  bright  glow 
of  clothes  and  diamonds,  and  a  chatter  of 
gossip;  but  no  depth,  no  reality,  no  earnest 
appreciation  of  what  it  is  to  live  a  true  human 
life  in  this  world. 

The  same  general  conditions  which  generate 
this  uninteresting  mediocrity  operate  to  the  dis- 
advantage of  spiritual  earnestness  and  develop- 
ment. Men  and  women,  who  fall  short  of  a 
predominant  aim  because  they  have  so  many 
aims,  must  fail  to  meet  the  claims  of  God  on 
their  primary  allegiance.  Like  Martha,  they 
are  blind  to  the  one  thing  needful,  by  reason  of 
the  number  of  steaming  pots  they  have  on  the 
fire.  It  is  said  that  people  neglect  religion 
because  they  have  lost  faith;  but  why  have 
they  lost  faith?  It  is  because  they  have  lost 
simplicity  of  character,  and  that  un artificial 
genuineness  which  is  the  fruit  of  it.  They  have 
lost  freshness  and  naturalness  of  action.  The^^ 
spread  themselves  out  over  the  whole  world, 


I  WILL  AmSE  AND  GO  TO  MY  FATHER.''  125 


and  then  declare  that  life  is  not  worth  living. 
Of  course,  they  lose  faith  in  anything  when 
they  dissipate  all  earnestness  by  living  for 
nothing  in  particular,  and  everything  in  gen- 
eral. What  they  need  is  to  get  away  from  the 
roar  and  rush  of  things,  and  think  in  the  sim- 
plest and  most  childlike  manner  about  the 
eternal  questions;  get  away  from  the  attrac- 
tions of  external  activity,  which  is  often  only  a 
baptized  form  of  worldly  zeal;  and  then  will 
God  come  back  to  them  as  the  One  End  and 
Aim  of  life,  and  the  old  lesson,  newly  learned, 
will  be  as  sweet  to  them  *as  it  was  long  years 
ago,  when  they  learned  it  from  now  silent  lips. 
O,  that  they  may  draw  away  from  the  crowd 
and  the  racket,  and  be  alone,  silent  and  alone 
with  God,  to  ask,  why  am  I  in  this  world?  for 
what  did  God  make  me  ?  what  is  my  first  duty  ? 
what  ought  to  be  the  predominating  aim  of  my 
life  ?  what  one  thing  should  I  do  ?  The  answers 
that  come  in  that  silence  make  no  mention  of 
many  of  the  things  that  take  up  so  much  of 
their  time,  thought,  and  strength ;  but  a  Voice 
says :  I  have  made  thee  for  Myself,  and  thou 
shalt  never  find  rest  till  thou  find  it  in  Me.  It 
is  the  voice  of  One  who  has  the  right  of  pro- 
prietorship in  them,  and  who  has  fixed  their 


126 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


end.  With  condescending  love  He  has  bidden 
them  to  live  for  Him.  Although  they  may, 
unhappily,  have  exchanged  penitent  devotion 
for  inward  indifference.  He  has  changed  not. 
Their  end  is  still  the  same,  and  still  He  wills  to 
be  their  end.  They  who  come  repenting  back  to 
God,  come  back  to  their  better  selves.  They 
pass  out  of  the  delirium  of  an  aimless  life  into 
the  calm  sanity  of  a  determination  to  live  for 
God  alone.  They  have  come  to  themselves; 
doubts  vanish  as  clouds  of  mist  roll  away  before 
the  shining  of  the  morning  sun  ;  all  the  faculties 
begin  to  work  in  harmon3^,  each  answeringback 
to  the  others  in  perfect  tone,  and  all  combin- 
ing to  uplift  that  inner  Te  Deum  which  God 
loves  to  hear  above  the  bursts  of  organs,  and  the 
anthems  of  countless  choristers.  It  is  the  silent 
heart-song  of  manhood  striking  chord  w4th  the 
eternal  purpose  of  Him  who  made  us  for  Him- 
self God,  who  is  an  earnest  God,  again  takes 
up  His  abode  in  the  earnest  soul,  which,  in  all 
the  simplicity  of  a  child,  opens  its  doors  with 
repentant  tears  and  songs  of  joy  to  theFather^s 
entrance. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Ube  ©rnament  of  a  (Siuiet  Spirit 

The  Necessity  of  Solitude  and  Silence— We  Must  Seek 
God  Where  we  Are— Evils  of  Unrestrained  Speech 
—The  Serenity  of  God — A  Meek  and  Lowly  Heart 
—  The  Practice  of  Recollection  — Extravagant 
Notions  of  Sanctity— The  Grace  of  Charity. 

♦ITT  is  a  change  from  artificiality  to  genuineness 
when  humbled  Marthas  terminate  the  half- 
hearted discipleship  which  has  stood  to  them  for 
so  much  inward  unrest,  and  to  God  for  so  much 
disappointment.  The  simplicity  of  action, 
which  marks  their  repentance,  begins  to  char- 
acterize them  in  all  their  relations  as  surren- 
dered souls  to  their  blessed  and  mighty  Keeper. 
They  have  discovered  how  baflSiing  to  oneness 
of  aim  are  the  dissipations  and  distractions  of  a 
busy  life,  and  how  rigidly  necessary  retirement 
and  silence  are.  Our  Lord  Himself  was  not 
exempt  from  this  necessity;  for  how  often  do 


128 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


we  read  that  He  stole  away  to  some  quiet 
retreat  where  He  might  devote  Himself  without 
interruption  to  communion  with  the  Father, 
in  the  unutterable  tranquillity  of  pure  prayer! 
We  read  also  that  when  His  apostles  returned 
from  one  of  their  apostolical  journeys,  ^^and 
told  Him  all  things,  both  what  they  had  done 
and  what  they  had  taught,^'  He  said  unto 
them :  Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into  a  desert 
place,  and  rest  awhile;  for  there  were  many 
coming  and  going,  and  they  had  no  leisure  so 
much  as  to  eat/^  And  we  know  that  His  pre- 
cept concerning  prayer  was:  ^^When  thou 
prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when  thou 
hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  which 
is  in  secret/^ 

Solitude  and  silence  are  indispensable;  not 
only  for  their  own  sake,  but  because  they  are 
the  occasion  of  needed  victories  over  self.  There 
is  nothing  in  religion  more  difficult  to  acquire 
than  strong  love  for  secret  prayer.  Many  a 
man  could  go  into  battle  with  less  courage  than 
he  would  require  to  bow  down  at  God's  feet 
alone,  behind  a  shut  door.  Souls  have  won 
great  victories  in  that  way.  Public  services 
and  outward  activities  were  long  the  opiates 
by  which  they  drugged  their  consciences;  but 


THE  ORNAMENT  OF  A  QUIET  SPIRIT.  129 


when  they  found  courage  to  hide  themselves  in 
the  secret  of  His  Presence,  old  things  passed 
away,  and  all  things  became  new. 

Solitude  and  silence  are  necessary  because 
we  cannot  serve  two  masters;  we  cannot  live 
the  life  of  Mary,  and  be  always  claiming  our 
full  share  of  the  world's  ^^hurly-burly/'  Over 
eagerness  and  too  much  talk  dissipate  childlike- 
ness  of  spirit.  Those  who  pray  much  are  not 
great  talkers.  Retirement  must  be  frequent  and 
regular,  that  we  may  refresh  our  faith,  renew 
our  self-abandonment,  and  afford  the  Holy 
Spirit  the  opportunity  of  teaching  us  deep 
interior  lessons.  Every  day  should  be  in  some 
sense  a  Quiet  Day.  Habitual  communion  with 
God  is  practicable  in  business,  or  society,  or 
anywhere;  but  impracticable  there  without 
many  a  retreat  to  the  tranquil  mountain-sides 
of  prayer  and  meditation,  where,  by  much 
reverent  intimacy  with  God,  the  spirit  may 
acquire  an  inward  peace  which  will  neutralize 
the  cares  and  perturbations  of  the  world,  and 
impart  strength,  dignity,  gentleness,  simplicity, 
and  beauty  to  character.  There  is  no  lesson 
which  needs  to  be  so  strongly  reiterated^ 
especially  for  Christians  in  our  large  and  ever 
growing  cities,  where  ever3^ thing  is  unfriendly 


130 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


to  that  serene  equipoise  of  the  soul,  that 
restrained  sobriety  of  manner,  that  dulness  of 
the  senses  to  the  distracting  pleasures  of  the 
world,  and  to  the  equally  distracting  influence 
of  external  zeal  and  activity,  which  should  mark 
him  who  is  trying  to  serve  God  with  all  his 
heart. 

And  yet,  God  has  commanded  us  to  seek 
Him,  as  our  primary  obligation,  in  the  very 
state  of  life  in  which  we  find  ourselves.  There  is 
no  ideal  spot  where  Satan  cannot  enter.  The 
lad  who  was  certain  there  was  a  better  world 
beyond  the  blue  mountains  that  bordered  his 
native  valley,  must  have  been  our  brother;  for 
we  are  all  dreaming  his  dream.  Were  our  cir- 
cumstances difierent,  it  would  not  be  so  hard  to 
be  good !  Were  there  not  so  many  lions  in  our 
way,  we  might  reach  the  Delectable  Mountains ! 
But,  consider !  the  call  of  God  is  addressed  to  us 
in  our  present  environment,  so  far  as  that  does 
not  merit  the  condemnation  of  His  law.  Unless 
so  condemned,  we  may  conclude  that  our  place 
has  been  appointed  unto  us ;  and  it  is  there  that 
the  call  to  go  up  higher  reaches  us.  Doubt- 
less, as  we  see  it,  it  appears  to  be  by  no  means 
favorable  to  the  progress  of  the  soul  in  holiness, 
but  we  may  rest  assured  that  His  grace  and  His 


THE  ORNAMENT  OF  A  QUIET  SPIRIT, 


131 


providence  always  co-operate  in  perfect  har- 
mony ;  so  that  in  no  other  place  in  all  the  world, 
in  no  happy  Arcadia  w^hich  our  imagination 
may  be  dreaming  of,  could  we  be  so  favorably 
situated  for  progress  in  the  following  of  Christ. 
We  would  not  choose  so  well,  if  we  had  the 
ordering  of  it ;  on  the  contrary,  we  would  prob- 
ably choose  the  very  worst  place.  If  we  were 
to  gain  all  the  temporal  good  for  which  we 
now  spend  our  best  strength,  if  the  aims  which 
now  keep  us  back  from  God  should  be  crowned 
with  success,  and  then  our  dreams  of  a  better 
opportunity  be  realized,  we  might  awake  to  find 
that  we  lost  our  opportunity  long  ago.  It  is 
wiser  to  live  for  God  just  where  we  are,  and  it  is 
more  pleasing  to  Him.  *^The  colored  sunsets 
and  the  starry  heavens,  the  beautiful  mountains 
and  the  shining  seas,  the  fragrant  woods  and 
the  painted  flowers,  they  are  not  half  so  beauti- 
ful as  a  soul  that  is  serving  Jesus  out  of  love  in 
the  wear  and  tear  of  common,  unpoetic  life^^ 
(Faber). 

But  whatever  may  be  the  state  of  life  unto 
which  it  has  pleased  God  to  call  us,  the  practice 
of  silence,  retirement,  aloneness  with  Him,  is 
indispensable.  And  this  suggests  that  he  who 
would  lead  a  more  positive  Christian  life  will 


132 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


have  to  learn  to  control  his  tongue  by  silence ; 
for  the  most  effective  way  of  conquering  the 
inner  propensity  to  say  the  things  we  ought  not 
to  say  is  to  refuse  speech  to  them.  There  will 
be  many  a  hard  fought  battle  before  victory  is 
in  sight,  and  alas !  we  shall  often  lose  the  day 
just  as  we  were  on  the  point  of  winning  it. 
Says  the  Psalmist:  will  keep  my  mouth  as 
it  were  with  a  bridle;^'  (think  what  strength 
and  fitness  to  its  purpose  there  is  in  a  bridle!) 
keep  it  with  such  force  of  restraint  that  it  can- 
not be  used  to  utter  the  thoughts  which  demand 
expression.  ^^I  will  keep  my  mouth  as  it  were 
with  a  bridle/'  he  says,  while  the  ungodly  are 
in  sight/'  that  is,  even  when  he  might  have  just 
cause  to  speak.  Ungodliness  should  be  warned 
and  rebuked;  but  it  is  better  to  be  silent  even 
against  the  ungodly,  if  thereby  I  may  be  trained 
to  control  what  is  ungodly  in  myself.  There 
are  occasions  when  we  may  express  adverse 
opinions  of  wrong-doers  if  the  line  of  charity  be 
not  overpassed;  but  it  is  better  to  decline  all 
speech  than  to  break  silence  and  charity  at  the 
same  time. 

The  Psalmist  was  so  set  in  his  purpose  to 
get  the  control  of  his  tongue  that  he  kept 
silence,  as  he  tells  us,  ^^even  from  good  words." 


THE  ORNAMENT  OF  A  QUIET  SPIRIT.  133 


^*It  was  pain  and  grief  to  him,  he  adds,  but 
the  disciphne  was  wholesome.  Self-denial  in 
things  allowable  facilitates  the  practice  of  it  in 
forbidden  things.  The  Psalmist  had  a  sore 
fight  with  himself.  It  was  in  his  heart  to  say 
the  things  he  ought  not  to  say;  they  were  all 
ready  within  him,  waiting  for  expression;  but 
his  will  stepped  forward,  and  snatched  away 
the  instrument  of  expression.  I  want  a  voice! 
each  wrong  thought  complained.  But  a  voice 
you  shall  not  have :  you  shall  have  nothing  but 
silence;  so  do  your  best  with  that!  It  was  a 
severe  fight;  no  wonder  his  heart  was  hot 
within  him,  but  he  conquered;  and  behold! 
when  he  slackened  the  reins  his  tongue  began 
to  pray:  *^Lord,  make  me  to  know  mine  end 
and  the  measure  of  my  days,  what  it  is ;  that  I 
may  know  how  frail  I  am.'^  The  unruly  mem- 
ber was  conquered  by  silence,  and  the  lips  that 
were  wont  to  talk  harshly  of  the  faults  of 
others  spake  only  of  the  time  when  they,  them- 
selves, would  be  silent  in  the  grave.  It  was  a 
great  victory. 

The  soul  which  has  surrendered  to  God,  and 
rests  quietly  in  Him,  will  acquire  somewhat  of 
His  ineffable  serenity.  It  learns  to  avoid  impul- 
sive action,  and  loves  to  move  along  the  path- 


134 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


way  of  holiness  with  modesty,  governed  by  a 
tranquil  spirit,  neither  unduly  uplifted  by  spir- 
itual joys,  nor  depressed  by  trials.  This  moder- 
ation increases  by  exercise,  the  soul  learning 
more  and  more  to  abandon  itself  to  the  keeping 
of  God,  until  it  becomes  a  habit  and  law  of  its 
life  to  prefer  God^s  will  to  personal  desire,  and 
to  banish  its  preferences,  if  they  appear  to  con- 
flict with  that.  There  is  less  and  less  protest 
and  resistance  as  the  years  go  by,  and  more 
self-repression,  quietness,  serene  immobility  of 
spirit.  ^^My  heart  is  fixed,  O  God,  my  heart  is 
fixed  All  is  peace,  for  God  is  managing  the 
heart  in  His  own  way. 

Humility  is  essentially  the  same  grace  under 
another  name.  We  should  suspect  our  motives 
when  our  actions  do  not  promote  humility. 
Much  of  the  fashionable  activity  among  Chris- 
tians is  scarcely  disguised  self-righteousness. 
But  a  just  estimate  of  one's  self  restrains  pride ; 
and  service  done  for  God  is  meekly  done,  with- 
out desire  to  be  seen  of  men,  or  to  have  part  in 
all  the  hurry  and  bustle  of  a  distracting  world. 
The  soul,  weaned  from  its  old  conceit  of  itself 
and  its  doings,  sees  that  it  has  nothing  which  it 
has  not  received ;  and  that,  were  all  that  grace 
has  done  eliminated,  the  remainder  would  be  a 


THE  ORNAMENT  OF  A  QUIET  SPIRIT.  135 


discreditable  collapse.  The  only  way  in  which 
it  can  complement  God's  grace  is  by  adding  its 
nothing  to  His  all.  Shrinking  with  terror  from 
the  penalties  of  self-love,  it  will  not  permit  itself 
to  be  blown  about  by  every  blast  of  impulse  or 
emotion,  nor  be  affected  by  the  praises  or  criti- 
cisms of  others.  It  knows  the  former  to  be 
undeserved,  and  the  latter  to  be  its  due.  Ever 
striving  not  to  be  proud  and  self-willed,  it  could 
not  possibly  recognize  the  graces  which  render 
it  so  attractive  to  others,  and  yet  it  is  conscious 
of  a  deep  and  satisfying  repose  in  God,  of  less 
storm  and  more  calm  than  once. 

This  gift  of  balance  or  moderation  is  pro- 
moted by  the  drawing  in  of  all  the  faculties 
from  external  objects,  and  concentrating  them 
on  God  present  in  the  heart.  This  is  recollec- 
tion, that  is,  collecting  or  gathering  in  the 
thoughts  of  the  mind,  the  attention  of  the  will, 
and  the  devotion  of  the  heart,  in  order  to  fix 
them  on  the  one  thing  needful.  When  recollec- 
tion becomes  a  habit  of  souls  they  can  quietly 
rest  in  God  in  the  busiest  scenes  of  worldly 
activity ;  and  if,  under  unusual  conditions  of 
excitement  or  perplexity,  they  are  carried  from 
their  moorings,  they  no  sooner  become  con- 
scious of  drifting  than  they  make  speed  to  cast 


136 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


anchor  again  in  the  depths  of  the  Divine  tran- 
quilHt3^  And  they  are  less  likely  to  lose  a  recol- 
lected spirit  under  such  conditions  if  they  have 
avoided  the  mistake  of  regarding  loss  of  inter- 
est in  everything  as  recollection.  To  love 
God  it  is  not  necessary  to  despise  men.  They 
simply  prefer  Him  to  them ;  and  thus,  by  loving 
Him  primarily,  they  learn  to  love  them  second- 
arily. In  recollection,  they  are  concerned  to 
keep  themselves  in  His  hands,  so  that  if  called 
to  enter  the  busiest  scenes  and  engage  in  sever- 
est toils,  they  can  do  so  without  loss  of  spiritual 
equipoise  or  peace.  He  who  calls  them  to  a  life 
of  solitude,  silence,  and  aloneness  with  Him  in 
the  inner  sanctuary  of  the  heart,  may  call  them 
also  to  outward  activities ;  sometimes  to 
positions  which  involve  continual  distraction 
and  worry,  endless  frictions  and  complaints 
and  dissatisfactions.  Taught  of  God,  they  will 
avoid  any  repugnance  to  the  trying  circum- 
stances of  their  state  in  life,  which,  although  in 
themselves  annoying,  are  yet  very  closely  related 
to  the  soul's  progress  ;  for  if  these  circumstances 
are  of  God,  if  the  Father  has  bid  them  go  stand 
even  where  Satan's  seat  is,  go  work  where  hosts 
of  devils  are  let  loose,  go  suffer  where  persecu- 
tion rages,  what  has  a  surrendered  soul  to  do 


THE  ORNAMENT  OF  A  QUIET  SPIRIT, 


137 


but  to  obey  ?  But  they  must  carr3^  the  quietude 
of  the  surrendered  soul  with  them.  Recollection 
is  even  more  necessary  in  the  whirl  of  the  world 
than  in  the  retirement  of  the  closet ;  for  in  the 
world  the  temptation  to  impetuosity  and  self- 
regulated  action  is  stronger.  Recollection  will 
help  them  to  avoid  unnecessary  entanglement 
in  affairs,  and  particularly  in  those  which  do 
not  concern  them.  Should  the^^  suffer  them- 
selves to  be  pulled  hither  and  thither  by  every 
turbulence  of  the  hour,  or  to  participate  in  all 
the  details  of  events,  restlessness  will  soon  drive 
out  the  nestling  peace  of  God,  pra3^er  will  begin 
to  be  burdensome,  and  self-will  will  seek  to 
regain  its  lost  throne. 

With  reference  to  the  development  of  the 
image  of  God  in  the  spirit,  those  who  have  put 
themselves  in  His  hands  should  exercise  sobriety 
and  humihty  in  their  expectations.  If  holiness 
consisted  only  in  bodily  austerities  and  sense- 
discipline,  they  might  indulge  in  high-flown 
anticipations ;  for  it  is  easier  to  starve  the  body 
to  a  shadow  than  to  subjugate  the  will.  No 
one  has  assurance  of  final  victory.  There  are 
promises  and  engagements  on  the  Divine  side 
which  are  exceedingly  great  and  precious ;  in 
contemplating  which  the  soul  often  bursts  into 


138 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


songs  of  joy,  songs  which  might  rise  to  the 
height  of  rapture  did  we  not  know  the  infirm- 
ities and  vacillations  of  our  wills.  We  are  pur- 
suaded  that  God  will  keep  us  against  that  day ; 
but  we  are  not  assured  thatw^e  shall  not  become 
cast  away  at  last,  through  our  own  fault,  our 
own  most  grievous  fault.  The  soul  that  would 
persevere  must  do  so  with  fear  and  trembling. 
Let  us  not  be  guilty  of  presumption  through 
excess  of  confidence.  The  best  that  we  dare  say 
is  that  we  are  in  the  way  of  being  saved.  Let 
us  then  rest  quietly  in  God,  saying,  ^^Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread. 

Persons  are  sometimes  tempted  to  indulge  in 
religious  extravagance  and  unreality  by  reading 
religious  biographies,  forgetful  that  these  are 
usually  eulogies  instead  of  biographies.  They 
tell  of  victories,  but  omit  the  long  antecedent 
conflicts.  Did  they  relate  the  whole  story  of 
infirmity,  temptation,  doubt,  darkness,  and 
relapse,  the  romance  of  sainthood  would  evapo- 
rate. The  truth  is  that  they  who  have  set  their 
faces  towards  the  higher  possibilities  of  the 
Christian  life,  are  by  that  token  neither  gran- 
dees nor  heroes.  The  best  which  they  may 
claim  for  themselves  is  that  they  are  as  nothing 
before  God.    '*We  are  His  beggars,'^  said  S. 


THE  ORNAMENT  OF  A  QUIET  SPIRIT. 


139 


Augustine.  If  they  are  holy,  it  is  not  their 
extraordinary  zeal  or  devotedness,  their  fine 
talents  or  gifts,  which  make  them  holy;  for 
these  are  in  most  cases  natural  qualities  upon 
which  grace  acts.  If  they  are  holy,  they  are 
simply  men  of  like  passions  with  ourselves, 
having  the  same  battles  to  fight,  the  same  dis- 
couragements, the  same  helps,  the  same  means 
of  grace,  the  same  Saviour,  and  the  same  oppor- 
tunity to  make  God  their  All  in  all.  If  they 
differ  from  us,  perhaps  they  think  of  holiness  as 
something  to  work  for  by  much  plodding,  by 
much  grim  commonplaceness  of  toil,  and  above 
all  by  much  quietness  of  spirit  in  those  silent 
and  solitary  places  where  only  God  is  witness 
of  the  struggle.  They  do  not  indulge  extrava- 
gant notions  of  sanctity,  nor  do  they  antici- 
pate large  attainments;  for  they  know  that 
^Sve  must  carry  ourselves  about  with  us  until 
God  carries  us  to  heaven;  and  so  long  as  we 
carry  ourselves,  we  shall  have  nothing  to  boast 
of.'^  They  know  that  beneath  vehement  and 
over-anxious  desires  for  good,  there  may  be 
hidden  much  self-love  and  pride.  And  therefore 
they  covet  moderation,  and  just  leave  their  sub- 
jugated wills  in  the  hands  of  God,  asking  noth- 
ing save 


140 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


A  love  to  lose  their  will  in  His, 
And  by  that  loss  be  free." 

A  quiet  and  restrained  soul  surrendered  to 
God  will  acquire  divine  charity.  Harshness  and 
extravagance  of  expression  with  regard  to  the 
faults  of  others  will  begin  to  moderate.  Charity 
cannot  be  blind  to  such  very  present  realities, 
for  charity  has  eyes;  but  charity  is  also  calm 
and  self-repressive,  always  ready  to  show  com- 
passion. Our  neighbor  has  a  trying  temper,  an 
ungenerous  suspiciousness,  a  streak  of  duplicity, 
a  real  dislike  for  us,  a  fondness  for  meddling  and 
making  mischief,  an  ungoverned  tongue,  a  sel- 
fishness that  will  sacrifice  anybody  for  its  own 
gain;  but  we  are  not  his  judge,  as  he  is  not 
ours.  There  is  One  who  judgeth  both.  Our 
prayer  should  be,  Forgive  us  our  trespasses  as 
we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against  us.^' 
Conscience  tells  us  that  we  need  strong  curbs 
and  severe  lashings  in  this  matter;  for  rash  and 
uncharitable  judgments,  censorious  speech,  and 
extravagant  prejudices  cause  a  large  part  of 
the  world^s  misery,  and  keep  many  Christians 
down  at  the  lowest  level  of  spiritual  life.  And 
what  an  example  of  the  beauty  and  power  of 
silence  in  the  judgment  of  others  is  presented  by 
our  Lord;  for  ''He  bore  with  goodness  and 


THE  ORNAMENT  OF  A  QUIET  SPIRIT,  141 


condescension  the  weaknesses,  the  ignorance, 
the  jealousy,  the  ambitions  contests  of  His 
apostles ;  He  reproved  with  gentleness  even 
those  glaring  faults  in  them,  of  which  the  malice 
of  designing  and  wicked  men  might  well  have 
made  use  as  so  many  arguments  for  blackening 
His  own  reputation;  and  He  patiently  waited 
for  the  slowly  matured  fruit  of  His  constant 
instructions/'  Thus  He  would  teach  us  how  to 
live  with  imperfection  without  losing  charity 
towards  it;  how  to  bear  incongenialities  and 
misconstructions,  suspicions,  petty  exhibitions 
of  temper,  and  all  the  brood  of  similar  discom- 
forts, just  as  He  would  teach  us  how  to  bear 
povertj^,  sickness,  bereavement,  and  tempta- 
tions, namely,  by  accepting  them  as  capable  of 
conveying  great  blessings  if  rightly  received. 
For  there  are  large  possibilities  of  good  in  the 
many  opportunities  which  the  faults  of  others 
afford  us  of  repressing  that  self-love  within, 
which,  rather  than  the  faults  we  see,  really 
gives  us  the  misery  we  feel.  Charity  suggests 
that  the  physician  heal  himself,  and  try  to  live 
in  this  world  without  being  chafed  and  angered 
because  those  around  also  do  ill ;  and  without 
impatience  because  the  world  is  evil,  and  signs 
of  improvement  sadly  lacking.   However  detest- 


142 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


able  sin  may  be  in  the  opinion  of  perfect  Holi- 
ness, the  patience  and  forbearance  of  God  is 
something  too  wonderful  to  be  described  in 
terms  of  human  speech ;  we  can  only  fall  down 
and  adore  it.  He  has  this  loving  purpose  in  our 
surroundings  with  all  their  vexations  and  wor- 
ries: that  we  shall  learn  to  accept  them  with 
all  serenity  of  soul,  and  answer  back  their 
assaults  with  forbearance  and  charity,  with 
somewhat  of  that  ineffable  patience  which  He 
exhibits  towards  ourselves. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


H)etacbment  anJ)  IfnMfference* 

The  Spirit  of  Detachment— Four  Applications  of  it — 
A  High  Standard  Indispensable— Indifference. 

^I^NTIRE  surrender  to  God,  contintiously 
repeated  until  the  act  becomes  habitual, 
has  been  shown  to  be  attended  by  definite 
spiritual  results.  The  old  fascinations  of  the 
world  lose  their  glare  and  magnetism.  The 
faculties  are  composed,  simple,  and  recollected. 
The  interior  contacts  of  the  soul  with  God  pro- 
duce the  state  of  unceasing  prayer;  and  the 
whole  trend  of  life  points  to  the  happy  con- 
summation of  the  hearths  dearest  hopes  in  its 
perfect  union  with,  and  vision  of,  God.  All  this 
robs  of  its  attractive  power  everything  that  is 
not  God  or  not  of  God.  The  soul  is  weaned 
from  all  persons  and  objects,  save  as  they  are 
subordinated  to  God,  and  may  be  loved  in  Him. 


144 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


This  state  of  the  soul,  not  easily  secured,  not 
retained  without  infinite  pains,  is  often  spoken 
of  under  the  name  of detachment/' 

Mary  was  a  beautiful  instance  of  a  detached 
spirit.  Martha  was  called  to  it.  That  devotion 
which  had  been  in  her  eyes  irksome,  ill-timed, 
and  sentimental,  will  yet  become  the  one  attrac- 
tion as  the  one  necessity  of  her  life.  The  more 
she  shall  at  length  see  how  cumbering  service  is 
not  her  chief  end,  the  more  worthless  and  empty 
and  self-willed  her  past  activities  will  appear; 
while  the  taste  of  new  joys,  through  nearer 
insight  into  the  relation  of  Mary  to  unseen 
things,  will  be  so  sweet  to  her  soul  that  she  can 
only  renew  again  and  again  the  surrender  of 
every  power,  every  action,  every  thought,  every 
throb  of  her  heart,  to  God  alone. 

Detachment  has  two  ends  in  view :  1.  That 
we  may  live  out  the  truth  that  God  is  our  first 
necessity.  2.  That  we  may  bring  into  our 
daily  life  the  practical  fact  that  He  is  our  only 
necessity.  That  is  to  say,  nothing  must  be  per- 
mitted to  become  or  remain  necessary  to  us  in 
place  of,  or  rather  than,  God.  By  the  law  of 
His  Providence  we  may  have  all  things  as  con- 
tingent. We -may  have  father,  mother,  houses, 
lands,  food,  shelter, clothing,  ourselves;  we  may 


DETACHMENT  AND  INDIFFERENCE.  145 


have  influence,  fame,  good  repute ;  but  these  are 
God's  secondary  gifts.  His  first  is  Himself.  He 
may  sweep  all  these  away ;  but  what  have  we 
lost  so  long  as  this  wonderful  and  all  glorious 
God  is  left  to  us  to  be  our  All  in  all,  now  and 
forever  ? 

This  law  of  detachment  has  a  threefold  appli- 
cation. 

1.  We  must  detach  ourselves  from  all  that  is 
in  itself  sinful.  Here  the  duty  is  absolute  and 
uncompromising,  as  w^as  before  shown.  We 
have  no  secondary  right  to  do  anything  with 
things  per  se  sinful,  except  to  slay  them.  Sin  is 
unmitigated  devilism ;  and  must  be  hated  with 
an  active  abhorrence,  and  an  heroic  determina- 
tion to  accept  death  rather  than  compromise. 
^^If  thy  right  hand  offend  thee  (i.  e.  if  thy  will 
purpose  to  use  the  hand  as  the  instrument  of 
unrighteousness),  cut  it  off  and  cast  it  from 
thee ;  for  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that  one  of  thy 
members  should  perish,  and  not  that  thy  whole 
body  should  be  cast  into  hell.''  Here  detach- 
ment is  accomplished  by  excision.  Mortifica- 
tion, crucifixion,  resistance  unto  blood,  are  the 
terms  of  triumph.  •  » 

2,  We  must  detach  ourselves,-  as  we  said 
before,  from  all  things  which,  while  not  in  them- 


146 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


selves  sinful,  do  become  the  occasions  of  sin 
whenever  we  refuse  to  regard  them  as  God^s 
secondary  gifts,  and  become  attached  to  them 
at  the  expense  of  the  obligation  of  primary 
attachment  to  God.  It  is  sad  enough  to  see  a 
soul  lying  vanquished  at  the  feet  of  its  sins; 
but  it  is  more  alarming  when  alienation  from 
God  is  caused  by  that  which  is  in  itself  good. 
In  how  many  homes  do  the  domestic  affections 
eclipse  the  glories  of  love  divine  ?  See  that  faith- 
ful father  growing  gray  in  toilsome  devotion  to 
the  temporal  welfare  of  his  family,  while  his 
heart  is  cold  to  God !  See  that  priest  spending 
himself  in  buildings  and  activities,  and  then 
standing  a  mere  machine  at  the  altar  he  has 
built!  God  and  the  angels  are  stricken  with 
horror  at  these  living  lies.  God  will  not  brook 
a  divided  throne.  Men  cannot  serve  two  mas- 
ters. God  is  their  primary,  their  only  necessity. 
They  cannot  thirst  for  God  and  thirst  for  self 
at  the  same  time.  No  matter  what  the  world 
may  say ;  no  matter  what  low  standards  may 
be  the  reigning'fashion,he  who  is  truly  detached 
willingly  does  violence  to  every  usurping  affec- 
tion, everyj^self-asserting  interest;  knows  no 
price  too  great  to  pay,  no  pain  too  sharp  to 
bear,  no  discipline  too  severe  to  encounter,  just 


DETACHMENT  AND  INDIFFERENCE.  147 


in  order  that  he  may  restore  to  himself  a  wilHng 
preference  for  God  over  everything  in  heaven  or 
on  the  earth,  until,  looking  the  dearest  object  of 
affection  full  in  the  face,  weighing  the  most 
precious  possessions  at  their  full  value,  he  is 
enabled  to  say  to  his  God,  ^^Whom  have  I  in 
heaven  but  Thee  and  there  is  none  upon  earth 
that  I  desire  in  comparison  of  Thee/^ 

3.  But  there  is  a  vast  range  of  possibilities 
in  the  way  of  detachment  beyond  this.  Neces- 
sary to  all  Christians  is  this  grace  that  God 
should  be  primary  in  the  region  of  things  not 
sinful ;  but  God  sometimes  calls  souls  to  walk  in 
nobler  paths  of  self-surrender.  They  will  to  do 
more  than  use  God^s  gifts  as  not  abusing  them  : 
they  will  not  to  use  them.  The  attractions  of 
surrender  are  to  them  greater  than  the  fascina- 
tions of  possession.  The  alternative  of  God  and 
all  these  things  added  unto  them,  and  God 
^without  these,  being  presented  to  their  choice, 
they  choose  the  loftier  pathway.  The  Church  is 
hungry  for  priests  and  laymen  of  this  stamp. 

4.  But  now  I  come  to  another  application 
of  this  law  of  detachment.  This  higher  attain- 
ment is  not  only  an  interior  renunciation  of 
outward  things  and  conditions,  but  an  interior 
dying  to  self.    It  is  that  utter  detachment  from 


148 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


self  which  leaves  but  one  attachment  remaining 
in  the  soul.  It  is  the  sure  result  of  a  souFs 
thirst  for  God,  and  more  and  more  of  God; 
persisted  in  with  courage  and  high  resolve; 
persisted  in,  in  spite  of  the  threefold  antagonism 
of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil;  persisted 
in  because  the  Hol^^  Spirit  nurses  honest  begin- 
nings and  pardons  relapses ;  persisted  in  because 
God  reveals  himself  more  and  more  to  those 
who  seek  to  lose  themselves  in  the  unimaginable 
Beauty  of  His  nature,  until  at  length  the  love  of 
God  is  made  perfect.  No  other  love  exists.  The 
conflicts  of  years  are  crowned  with  the  victory 
of  faith.  Self  has  come  to  be  known  as  the 
worst  of  foes,  more  dangerous  to  the  soul  than 
any  external  enemy,  and  it  has  been  hunted 
down  like  a  ravening  beast. 

When  God  gives  this  spirit  of  utter  detach- 
ment from  self,  when  the  soul  comes  boldly  forth 
from  its  last  hiding  place  and  makes  its  finals 
surrender  to  God,  then  He  becomes  its  All  in  all. 
Cleaving  to  Him  only,  the  soul  desires  nothing 
out  of  Him ;  desires  nothing  but  Him  unless  it 
be  in  Him.  Then  trials  cease  to  be  trials,  being 
from  God.  (God  gives,  not  the  annihilation  of 
trouble,  but  the  acquisition  of  a  temper  and 
habit  of  the  soul  that  rises  above  it).    He  who 


DETACHMENT  AND  INDIFFERENCE,  149 


reposes  his  confidence  in  the  Everlasting  Arms 
cannot  be  overcome  by  calamities  that  shake 
the  world,  still  less  by  the  petty  vexations  that 
corrode  other  men's  hearts.  ^^Thou  will  keep 
him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on 
Thee/'  His  lot  may  be  in  a  time  and  place 
where  the  foundations  of  things  totter;  but 
he  knows  the  secret  of  His  presence  whose 
kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom.  Whatever 
storms  beat  and  tempests  howl,  he  can  say  : 
^*My  Father  sitteth  between  the  cherubim,  be 
the  earth  never  so  unquiet.''  It  is  long  in  com- 
ing, this  holy  tranquillity ;  but  it  is  sure  to  come 
to  those  w^ho  diligently  seek  it.  The  outward 
conditions  of  life  are  not  changed,  perhaps ;  but 
there  is  now  a  mysterious  sweetness  in  all  that 
was  once  bitter;  the  satisfaction  of  the  soul  in 
God  is  now  so  deep  and  pure  that  the  electric 
flash  and  whirl  of  the  w^orld  cannot  banish  Him 
^from  the  fixed  love  of  the  heart.  It  can  w^alk 
alone  with  God  among  the  multitudes  that 
surge  through  the  avenues  of  the  great  city. 
And  if  in  moments  of  sore  distress  or  perplexit^^ 
it  is  carried  away  from  its  moorings,  the  soul 
no  sooner  feels  its  drift  than  it  takes  measures 
to  cast  its  anchor  again  in  the  unperturbed 
silences  of  the  sea,  where  our  strong  Rock  is. 


150 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


Does  this  attainment  seem  to  present  too 
exacting  an  ideal  ?  one  that  is  to  be  exemplified 
only  by  those  who  are 

 too  good 

For  human  nature's  daily  food?" 

No  doubt  spiritual  writers  speak  of  detach- 
ment in  terms  that  transcend  the  experience  of 
many ;  but  unless  high  standards  are  set  before 
us,  conscience  will  satisfy  itself  with  standards 
too  low.  The  General  Confession  in  the  Order 
for  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  is  pitched  in  a 
very  high  key  that  we  may  not  choose  a  lower, 
and  that  we  may  be  uplifted  to  that.  The  writ- 
ers referred  to  state  duty  in  its  most  heroic 
sense  when  they  bid  us  amputate  our  limbs  till 
nothing  but  a  bleeding  trunk  remains ;  but  there 
is  still  no  little  surgery  necessary  for  all  of  us. 
We  must  cut  off  every  desire  that  is  supreme 
and  commanding  if  we  would  make  God's  will 
our  law;  while  other  attachments  must  be 
sternly  relegated  to  their  proper  subordinate 
place.  We  need  to  be  much  in  silence,  and  much 
alone  with  God:  therefore  we  must  often  shut 
ourselves  away  from  other  engagements.  We 
must  love  those  who  look  to  us  for  love,  but  no 
one  too  passionately.  We  must  engage  in  deeds 
of  mercy  and  kindness;  but  let  '^work^'  be 


DETACHMENT  AND  INDIFFERENCE.  151 


dashed  into  a  thousand  pieces  if  it  become  an 
idol.  There  is  no  virtue  like  zeal  for  supplying 
self-righteousness  with  excuses  for  profaning 
the  temple  of  God  within  us.  ''Take  these 
things  hence. 

This  spirit  of  detachment  reveals  to  us  how 
few  are  the  things  which  are  really  necessary  to 
us ;  induces  a  wise  depreciation  of  those  which 
are  not  necessary ;  and  tends  to  great  simplicity 
of  life.  It  is  not  unjust  to  objects  of  desire  or 
affection  which  have  at  best  only  a  secondary" 
claim  upon  us,  to  cultivate  indifference  towards 
them,  at  least  to  the  extent  of  conserving  our 
primary  obligation  of  loyalty  to  God.  If  human 
love  were  as  pure  and  true  as  it  should  be,  no 
heart  would  begrudge  the  love  which  those  dear 
to  it  might  pour  out  at  the  feet  of  the  Father. 
He  who  loves  God,  and  others  in  God,  illustrates 
the  beauty  of  a  perfect  affection.  And  with  God 
he  has  all  things.  He  who  has  God  can  lose 
nothing.  What  vital  inconvenience  can  any 
contingency  cause  him  whose  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God,  and  who  has  made  Him  his  All 
in  all?  It  is  this  spirit  of  possession  which 
rewards  the  spirit  of  detachment  with  triumph- 
ant joy.  He  who  loses  his  life  finds  it.  What 
he  surrenders  he  does  not  lose,  but  gains  in 


152 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


addition  unspeakable  riclies.  The  weaned  soul 
dwells  close  by  the  throne,  and  learns  to  exclaim 
with  S.  Paul:  '^For  I  am  persuaded  that 
neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  princi- 
palities, nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor 
things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any 
other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from 
the  loYC  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord/^ 


CHAPTER  XV. 


irn  tbe  Crucible* 

Self-Surrender  a  Via  Do/orosa— External  and  Spirit- 
ual Trials— Conditions  of  Growth— Our  Lord's 
Way  of  the  Cross— Our  Example  in  Pain,  Worry, 
Aridity,  Discouragement. 

E  who  seeks  the  union  of  his  spirit  with 
God,  by  self-surrender,  has  entered  upon 
a  via  dolorosa. 

In  the  first  place,  he  will  have  to  accept  the 
trials  that  are  common  to  man.  Troubles  will 
beset  his  path,  sickness  will  befall  him,  calumny 
may  overtake  him,  temporal  disappointments 
may  burst  upon  him,  temptations  will  assail 
him. 

In  the  second  place,  he  must  encounter  the 
special  trials  peculiar  to  one  who  turns  strongly 
to  God.  For  it  is  hard  to  give  up  the  former 
motives  of  life,  and  to  revolutionize  one's  likes 


154 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


and  dislikes.  This  passover  must  be  eaten  with 
bitter  herbs.  There  will  also  be  severe  interior 
trials,  caused  by  relapses,  by  murmurings,  by 
falterings  of  faith,  by  the  loss  of  fervor,  by  the 
rebellion  of  the  natural  man,  by  coldness  in 
prayer,  and  above  all  by  a  painful  sense  of 
desertion,  as  if  God  had  taken  His  departure 
from  the  soul,  and  left  us  to  our  own  resources. 
We  shall  be  compelled  to  cry  out  in  these  con- 
flicts: ^^O,  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove;  for 
then  would  I  fly  away  and  be  at  rest! Often 
shall  we  utter  Job's  plaintive  cry:  that  I 
were  as  in  months  past,  as  in  the  days  when 
God  preserved  me ;  when  His  lamp  shined  upon 
my  head,  and  when,  by  His  light,  I  walked 
through  darkness ! 

Now  all  these  trials,  external  and  internal, 
must  be  accepted  as  conditions  of  spiritual 
progress,  conditions  which  are  not  as  severe  as 
they  may  seem  to  be.  We  would  all  be  saints  if 
we  had  extracted  from  our  troubles  the  good 
that  they  contained ;  but  we  are  not  saints,  and 
are  not  likely  to  be,  unless  we  turn  over  a  new 
leaf,  and  seek  the  honey  of  the  bee  that  stings 
us.  Would  that  we  might  take  in  the  whole 
truth  that  the  abandonment  of  ourselves  into 
God's  hands  includes  the  peaceful  acceptance  of 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE, 


155 


all  that  He,  in  His  superior  wisdom,  may  allot 
to  us,  whether  it  be  agreeable  or  contradictory ! 
Would  that  we  might  perceive  how,  in  aban- 
doning ourselves  to  God,  w^e  have  pledged  our 
wills  to  accept  His  orderings  without  reserve, 
and  with  implicit  confidence  that  the  things 
which  seem  to  be  against  us  are  really  in  our 
interest;  that  evil  can  be  transformed  into 
good ;  that  behind  the  most  sombre  veil  shines 
the  eternal  Hght. 

The  impulse  of  nature  is  to  seek  deliverance 
from  trouble  and  suffering ;  but  there  is  a  higher 
lesson  to  be  learned  in  the  school  of  Christ.  To 
Him  who  is  the  master  of  sorrow,  as  well  as  the 
Man  of  sorrows,  we  must  go,  that  we  may 
study  Him  in  His  way  of  the  Cross,  and  learn 
the  blessed  lesson : 

*'The  path  of  sorrow,  and  that  path  alone, 
Leads  to  the  land  where  sorrow  is  unknown." 

Can  our  love  ever  forget  that  His  pains  of 
body  and  soul  were  those  of  One  w^ho  had  more 
than  our  capacities  for  suffering;  that  every 
form  of  trial  which  came  to  Him  through  life 
was  the  foreshadowing  of  His  final  agony  on 
the  Cross ;  and  that  He  was  at  length  the  dead 
victim  of  suffering;  for,  having  suffered  to  the 
end,  there  was  nothing  left  for  Him  but  to  die? 


156 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


O,  let  us  consider  Him  who  endured  such  con- 
tradiction of  sinners ! 

He  was  personally  despised  and  rejected  of 
men.  He  made  Himself  of  no  reputation.  Merit- 
ing all  the  rewards  of  virtue,  He  was  numbered 
with  the  transgressors.  Who  can  measure  the 
woe  of  conscious  innocence  when  malignity 
buries  it  beneath  cruel  anathemas? 

He  endured  all  the  straits  and  anxieties  of 
poverty.  He  had  not  where  to  lay  His  sacred 
head.  Beginning  His  earthly  life  in  a  humble 
family,  He  spent  years  of  toil  poorly  requited, 
and  penury  entirely  undeserved,  only  to  find 
Himself  at  last  a  despised  wanderer. 

He  suffered  the  ingratitude  of  those  He  came 
to  bless.  **He  came  to  His  own,  and  His  own 
received  Him  not.  ^  ^  He  went  about  doing  good ; 
but  had  His  name  been  Apollyon,  and  had  He 
exemplified  the  fearful  import  of  that  name  by 
spreading  desolation  wherever  He  went,  He 
would  scarcely  have  experienced  less  of  the 
esteem,  and  more  of  the  hatred,  of  the  world. 
Yet  in  the  midst  of  ingratitude,  how  astonish- 
ing His  kindness!  what  forbearance  and  pity 
does  He  show  to  His  bitterest  foes !  how  meek 
His  replies!  how  mild  His  censures!  Over  un- 
grateful Jerusalem,  He  weeps.    On  the  Cross, 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE. 


157 


He  prays  for  the  very  brutes  who  were  staining 
a  guilty  earth  with  His  blood. 

He  was  wounded  in  the  house  of  His  friends. 
His  companions  who  could  have  cheered  with 
their  sympathy — one  betrayed  Him  with  a  kiss, 
another  denied  Him,  and  all  forsook  Him  and 
fled.  He  learned  how  vain  was  human  help, 
how  fickle  human  love,  how  changeful  human 
friendship. 

Behold  Him  also  in  His  temptations! 
Tempted  to  distrust  providence,  to  destroy 
Himself,  to  commit  idolatry.  He  came  to  an 
experimental  knowledge  of  the  audacity  of 
Satan.  Thus  was  He  tempted  in  all  points  as  we 
are  as  to  the  instrument  of  temptation,  though 
He  had  not  our  susceptibility  to  its  power. 

His  physical  sufferings  were  inexpressibly 
great.  A  form  of  manly  symmetry,  a  counte- 
nance divinely  fair,  were  marred  by  pain  until 
there  was  no  beauty  that  we  should  desire  Him. 

His  mental  sufferings  were  still  greater.  Men 
may  paint  Christ  on  the  Cross,  but  art  cannot 
express  the  broken  heart.  ^^AU  ye  that  pass  by, 
behold,  and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like  unto 
My  sorrow. Yet  He  shrank  not  from  bearing 
the  sins  of  the  world.  ''He  endured  the  Cross, 
despising  the  shame. 


158 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


It  is  necessary  often  to  consider  Him  who 
endured  such  contradiction  of  sinners  against 
Himself,  lest  we  be  faint  and  wearied  in  our 
minds.  We  have  but  to  study  that  One,  of  all 
who  have  run  the  gauntlet  of  life's  sorrows, 
whom  no  transient  weakness  from  within,  no 
cunning  temptation  from  without,  could  divert 
for  a  single  moment  from  His  purpose.  And  we 
must  gaze  upon  Him,  not  as  on  a  crucifix  to 
remind  us  by  its  sad  beauty  how  to  die,  but  as 
a  living  and  loving  Friend  who  would  teach  us 
how  to  live.  However  hard  our  path.  He 
points  us  to  His  own  footsteps  to  assure  us 
that  He  has  trod  this  way  before  us. 

The  Cross  has  taught  us  a  new  philosophy. 
It  shows  us  that  sorrows,  pains,  and  disap- 
pointments are  in  reality  blessings.  The  Chris- 
tian who  would  live  near  to  God  must  live  near 
to  the  Cross,  because  the  Cross  reveals  to  us 
the  inexhaustible  activity  of  God  on  our  behalf. 
The  troubles  He  sends  us  are  sent,  because,  in 
His  great  wisdom  and  tender  love.  He  sees  that 
they  are  just  what  we  need.  There  is  in  Him 
nothing  that  is  short-sighted,  or  thoughtless,  or 
hap-hazard.  He  is  always  planning  for  our 
welfare,  and  always  busy  with  means  to  help  us 
on  to  holiness.    There  is  no  one  so  busy  as  He. 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE. 


159 


He  never  slumbers  nor  sleeps,  never  grows 
weary,  never  loses  His  patience,  never  forgets, 
never  makes  a  mistake.  His  hand  always 
touches  our  lives ;  and  whether  He  sends  what 
pleases  or  what  pains  us,  He  sends  His  love 
with  it.  If  we  would  only  fall  in  with  His  pur- 
poses and  make  of  every  trouble  a  sacrament,  a 
means  of  grace,  we  should  realize  the  wonder- 
ful virtue  there  is  in  the  little  crosses  on  which 
we  are  crucified  every  day ;  for  if  on  them  we  die 
to  our  self-love,  and  self-will,  and  general  sel- 
fishness of  character,  we  shall  truly  rise  to  new- 
ness of  life. 

For  troubleshave  an  immensevaluein  reveal- 
ing to  us  our  defects.  Anyone  can  sail  a  boat 
before  the  wind  with  a  pleasant  little  zephyr 
blowing;  but  he  discovers  that  sailing  means 
more  than  that,  when  there  is  a  stiff  breeze 
blowing  against  his  course.  Troubles  show 
that  we  need  many  things  which  we  did  not 
seem  to  need  when  everything  went  well  with 
us.  We  need  self-control,  patience,  charity,  for- 
giveness, trust  in  God,  preparation  for  the  land 
where  sorrows  are  unknown.  Above  all,  we 
need  to  find  how  deeply  in  our  inmost  nature 
selfishness  is  rooted ;  what  slaves  we  are  to  our 
senses  and  appetites ;  and  how  much  littleness 


160 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


there  is  hidden  behind  the  good  opinions  we 
have  of  ourselves.  Nothing  will  bring  our  true 
selves  to  the  surface  so  effectually  as  trouble. 

Our  trials  and  sorrows  also  teach  us  whom 
to  trust.  We  cannot  trust  ourselves — that  we 
soon  find  out.  We  cannot  trust  others.  The 
only  mortals  we  do  trust  are  those  who  love  us 
unselfishly;  and  yet  this  beautiful  love  is  mor- 
tal ;  we  may  not  have  it  to-morrow !  We  must 
not  trust  a  vanishing  love  supremely.  There  is 
but  one  undying  affection — it  is  the  love  of  God. 

Troubles  are  also  intended  to  prepare  us  for 
others  that  await  us.  When  Job  had  lost  his 
family  and  his  property,  how  nobly  he  bore 
those  calamities !  But  there  were  others  await- 
ing him.  He  was  smitten  with  a  painful  dis- 
ease; but  former  trials  had  prepared  him  for 
this,  and  he  was  able  to  accept  it  without  a 
murmur.  What,  shall  we  receive  good  at  the 
hand  of  God,  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil?'' 
Our  troubles  are  prophecies  of  others  to  come, 
and  His  purpose  is  to  prepare  us  now  for  that 
trying  then ;  to  form  within  us  a  faith  and  cour- 
age that  shall  serve  us  well  in  that  day  when  all 
the  waves  and  billows  will  go  over  us.  In  one 
word,  God  wishes  to  teach  us  that  suffering  is 
one  of  His  choicest  forms  of  blessing. 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE. 


161 


1.  See  how  true  this  is  in  physical  suffering. 
Nothing  happens  to  us  in  this  hfe  without  God, 
who  orders  all  things  with  consummate  wisdom 
and  tender  fatherly  love;  and  therefore  we  may 
seek  Him  in  our  bodily  pains.  Behind  that 
frowning  providence  He  hides  a  smiling  face; 
and  if  we  will  only  gaze  long  enough,  we  shall 
see  it.  When  it  is  written  that  He  scourgeth 
every  son  whom  He  receiveth,  we  are  taught, 
not  that  we  shall  be  made  happy  by  deliverance 
from  pain,  but  happy  in  it,  and  because  of  it. 
Pain  reveals  the  strength  of  self-love.  It  shows 
how  feeble  is  the  faith  that  seemed  strong  when 
all  things  went  well  with  us;  how  much  more 
we  were  trusting  in  our  own  strength  than  in 
God;  and  how  largely  our  spiritual  state  was 
the  merest  mental  reflex  of  a  sound  physical 
condition.  He  whose  eye  penetrates  to  the 
inner  man  saw  our  need,  and  came  to  us  in  the 
fires  of  fever,  or  the  distress  of  some  organic 
disorder,  to  dispel  the  delusion,  and  to  teach  us 
again  the  lesson  of  self-surrender  into  His 
strong  keeping.  Each  pang  which  He  sent 
was  necessary.  And  thus  it  is  with  all  our 
pain;  He  hides  His  love  within  it,  and  when 
we  lovingly  embrace  it  as  from  Him,  we  find 
Him  in  it. 


162 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


2.  The  same  truth  applies  to  the  little  cares 
and  worries  of  life.  No  one  is  exempt  from 
these.  You  think  yours  are  the  worst,  and 
would  like  to  change  your  lot  or  place  to  get 
relief.  But,  in  fact,  there  is  no  land  of  the  lotus- 
eaters  in  this  world.  You  can  read  the  story  of 
every  other  life  in  your  own,  and  thus  shall  it 
be  to  the  end ;  for  troubles  will  not  cease,  even 
when  we  shall  have  learned  to  bear  them.  We 
must  not  anticipate  rest  from  worry ;  we  should 
expect  to  find  rest  in  worry. 

There  are  two  ways  of  meeting  our  worries. 
One  is  to  let  them  worry  us  —  the  favorite 
method!  How  much  amiability  has  been  lost 
to  the  world  by  the  nervous  irritability^  thus 
excited !  How  many  tempers  have  been  ruined  ! 
Perhaps  there  is  nothing  more  fatal  to  progress 
in  the  Christian  life ;  for  in  effect  it  is  a  rebellion 
against  the  means  by  which  the  Father  wishes 
to  cultivate  the  graces  of  quietness  and  peace 
within  us.  If  they  had  been  great  troubles  w^e 
could  have  borne  them  more  heroically;  but 
these  petty  vexations  were  too  annoying  to 
bear,  and  the  more  they  vexed  us  the  more  we 
permitted  them  to.  This  is  the  process  by  which 
excellent  people  get  so  cross-grained  that  there 
is  no  living  with  them.    They  are  in  a  chronic 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE, 


163 


condition  of  protest  against  the  very  means  by 
which  they  might  learn  precious  lessons  in  holi- 
ness. The  better  way  is  to  convert  the  little 
worries  into  helps,  by  finding  God  in  them. 
They  teach  ns  to  trust  Him  in  the  minor  trials, 
and  so  prepare  for  the  great  calamities.  They 
teach  us  charity,  patience,  submission.  Thus 
they  dissolve  into  blessings ;  and  long  after  they 
have  been  forgotten — for  who  remembers  the 
little  worries  of  a  year  or  a  month  ago  ? — they 
are  represented  by  the  spiritual  growth  of  which 
they  were  the  occasion. 

3.  God  sometimes  leads  our  souls  forth  into 
a  dry  and  thirsty  land,  where  no  water  is.  Very 
few  are  excused  from  these  sad  pilgrimages,  and 
from  the  trials  which  accompany  them.  The 
soul  becomes  dry,  lifeless,  indifferent;  religious 
duties  are  a  burden;  the  pleasure  which  once 
attended  the  soul  in  prayer  has  departed;  the 
old  order,  in  which  God  spake  comfortably  to 
the  soul,  and  gave  a  sense  of  tranquil  joy,  a 
foretaste  of  the  eternal  calm,  seems  to  have 
been  reversed.  But  it  is  ourselves  who  have 
reversed  it.  We  made  too  much  of  the  pleasures 
that  are  ministered  to  those  who  surrender 
themselves  to  God ;  too  much  of  tranquillity  of 
conscience;  too  much  of  present  sensible  joj^s. 


164 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


Spiritual  pride  and  self-love  asserted  themselves 
in  proportion  as  we  made  more  of  God's  favors 
than  of  Himself.  Then  followed  a  disinclination 
to  the  identical  duties,  in  the  discharge  of  which, 
just  now,  we  felt  so  much  zeal,  courage,  and 
joy;  and  as  the  soul  looked  back  upon  those 
happy  hours  when  God  was  so  near,  it  was 
tempted  to  throw  off  the  restraints  of  grace,  and 
relapse  into  lukewarmness.  Once  the  thought 
was,  Never  can  I  surrender  a  faith  which  minis- 
ters such  comfort  and  joy !  Now  it  is,  O,  that 
I  were  as  in  months  past!''  We  had  been 
tempted  to  follow  the  Saviour  for  the  loaves 
and  fishes  wherewith  He  fed  us ;  and  now,  when 
in  His  wisdom  He  takes  these  away  in  order  to 
teach  us  in  some  little  measure  His  experience  in 
Gethsemane  in  the  hiding  of  the  Father's  coun- 
tenance, we  shrink  from  the  bitter  hour  of  deser- 
tion. We  will  not  see  that  God  in  His  loving 
care  would  teach  us  to  trust  Him  when  nothing 
is  left  to  trust  but  Him.  He  feeds  us  on  bitter 
herbs,  and  we  refuse  to  eat  because  He  has  taken 
away  our  confections. 

Grave  perils  lurk  in  this  neighborhood.  How 
many  who  long  walked  in  the  light  of  God  have 
lost  faith  through  not  being  willing  to  walk  in 
the  darkness  of  God!   It  is  a  very  immature 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE. 


165 


faith  which  has  not  made  some  progress  to- 
wards the  triumph  of  Job:  Though  He  slay 
me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him/^  God's  disciplines 
are  unto  life ;  for  by  them  He  would  teach  us  to 
let  consolations  slip  away  without  a  murmur, 
and  to  find  our  supreme  satisfaction  in  Him 
alone.  There  is  nothing  worth  living  for  but 
God.  It  seems  childish  and  contemptible  to 
make  conditions  that  we  shall  have  a  regular 
supply  of  spiritual  sweet-meats.  This  is  simply 
self-love  seeking  to  serve  God  on  its  own  terms. 
It  is  very  displeasing  to  Him  who  commands  us 
to  seek  Him  for  Himself.  And  yet,  very  patient 
with  His  children,  He  uses  these  experiences  of 
dryness  and  indifference  as  a  means  of  showing 
us  our  weakness.  We  can  understand  ourselves 
better  when  we  have  only  our  bare  selves  to 
look  at.  We  see  that  God  is,  indeed,  the  one 
thing  needful.  Patient  with  ourselves  in  these 
uprisings  of  self  against  the  loss  of  comforts,  w^e 
must  repeat  the  old  act  of  self-abandonment, 
and  accept  whatever  food  He  ministers,  be  it 
sweet  or  bitter;  and  so  shall  w^e  discover  that 
the  bitter  is  sweeter  than  the  sweet.  Then,  oh, 
then,  shall  we  learn  the  secret  of  Moses — the 
tree  which,  cast  into  the  waters  of  Mar  ah,  made 
the  water  sweet !   Then  shall  our  refreshed  and 


166   '  '  ^     .  INTEklOR  LIPE. 

triumpKing  fmtQ'^pre^^  Oti  -to  Elim.  And  they 
came  to  Elim  ^-^ti^i^f  were  twelve"- wells  of  water, 

/and  thvQQf  l^i^i^^  -trees;  and  they 

^^camped' fkereJI^^  ' 

V  ;  to  enumerate  all 

the  phas^^f'  ihe^'^inj^jF  disc()tiragement ;  for  it 

is\a%iiiQto*lt)^<^Voiir^e^^^^^       God  has  our  souls 

-    ' '    •  ■'  '  ^   ■  .j^  ""*    "  ^ 
„  in-i^iS:  kee^^ngr  ^  1  that  we  have  been 

trj'i^g^to^nanage^aff^^^  ourselves.  Pride,  self- 
love,  or  same  con|eal§d  fault,  have  crept  in  and 
usurjie^lrhe  thnq»ne.  f-Tbtn  He  takes  us  at  our 
word,  and  germtts'^'trs  test  our  own  resources ; 
for  welt-He  knowerh  tt^tif  we  trust  to  our  own 
w^ealgpsss  rather.-^  than  His  strength,  we  shall 
have  only  weajfttcss^  for  our  support  and  deliver- 
ance. Th^  sure  result  fpr  us  is  disappoinlinent 
abnd  mis^Vy.  Wounded  pride  feels  the  keen  edge 
of  |ts,^owrl  folly,  and  seeks  to  turn  back  the 
respHnsibility  upon  God:  ^^Itis  vain  to  serve 
Godv;and  what  profit  is  it  that  we  have  kept 
liis  otiiinance?  But  He  who  knows  us  better 
than  we  know  ourselves  bends  over  us  with 
infifiite  compassion;  watching  in  this  awful 
crisis  for  the  first  faint  groping  of  His  child^s 
hand  'after  Him  ;  ready  to  reveal  Himself  in  the 
plentitude  of  His  power ;  waiting  to  breathe 
new  courage  into  the  soul  as  it  utters  the  cry  of 


returning  faith  s  Why  arf%S(Ru  cast  down,  O 
my  soul  ?  And  ^b^fjart  tlpCi  so  disquieted  in 
me?  Hope  thou  in|God;,;fof  J^shall  .yet  praise 
Him  who  is  the  hdpt)f  mj^coftn^enance.'/ 

The  chief  value^  of  tnese  trying^periods  qf  dis-' 
couragement, in  whigh  we  are  deprived  ofievery^ 
thing  but  God  Hi^sel|  i%  th^  acgtiisitiprr  of  a 
larger  and  more  generous  tmst  ill  Him^  which 
shall  be  to  us  for  strong -^eliverajice  Avheif  like 
trials  return;  a  trust  which  shall  do  more  than, 
make  us  meekly  submissi:sr^*  a  trust  which  ^hall 
enable  us  to  accept  trials  in  the  same  spirit  in 
which  we  accept  comforts  an4  joys,  thankfully, 
and  with  supreme  cormdence  in  His  i^^Ssidom. 
Clouds  and  sunshine  are  aliket^kens  of  His  love. 
^^N#w  no  chastening  for  the  present  s^emeth  to 
be  joyous,  but  grievous ;  nevertheless,  afterward 
it  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righ^^^ousness,- 
unto  them  which  are  exercised  thereby/^   '  " 

Discouragement  c^mes  to  us  at  times  becaus^ 
there  are  so  many  questions  unsolved,  ^o  maiiy 
mysteries,  so  many  things,  hard  to  understand. 
But  it  is  by  this  very  discipline  ^f  partiaVSfti^^l- 
edge  that  God  is  preparing  us  for  all  th^  we 
shall  be  able  to  know  Hereafter,  We  nrust  not 
be  ashamed,  nor  permit  ourselves  to  be  discour- 
aged, because  we  find  ourselves  so  dull  and 


168 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


ignorant.  Patience!  We  are  little  children  at 
school,  and  must  be  content  to  plod  on.  Two 
times  one  are  two is  the  first  step  towards  the 
higher  mathematics.  In  due  time  we  shall  know 
even  as  we  are  known.  Meanwhile,  let  us  reflect 
that  God  now  knows  all  that  there  is  to  be 
known  of  us.  He  knoweth  that  we  arc  dust. 
He  knoweth  our  downsitting  and  our  uprising. 
He  knoweth  the  thoughts  of  our  hearts.  He 
knows  when  to  cry.  Courage,  child ! 

We  should  not  repine  at  our  little  knowledge, 
but,  never  satisfied  with  present  attainments, 
press  forward  after  higher.  Our  only  rest  and 
satisfaction  should  be  in  Him  who  knows  all. 
S.  Francis  de  Sales  speaks  of  Him  as  one  who 
looks  through  a  lattice  and  sees  us  clearly,  while 
we  have  only  a  glimpse  of  Him.  It  is  a  great 
blessing  to  have  a  glimpse  of  the  King  in  His 
beauty  ;  but  it  is  a  greater  to  know  that  He  sees 
us  with  unimpeded  vision,  knows  all  our  needs, 
has  compassion  upon  our  negligences  and  ignor- 
ances, watches  our  lives,  and  even  opens  the 
lattice  a  little  wider  as  the  years  roll  on,  that 
we  may  see  more  of  Him  whom  to  know  is  life 
eternal. 

But  the  little  knowledge  which  God  has  given 
us  of  Himself,  how  great  it  is  after  all !   It  seems 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE, 


169 


little,  it  is  little,  compared  with  coming  possi- 
bilities of  knowledge ;  but  it  is  great  compared 
with  our  former  ignorance.  I  am  speaking  of 
spiritual  knowledge — loving  relations — intimate 
acquaintance  with  the  Father.  If  it  discour- 
ages us  at  times  to  think  how  little  w^e  know, 
let  us  begin  to  praise  Him  for  that  little,  since  it 
is  so  much  greater  than  it  was  when  it  was 
naught — when  we  cared  for  none  of  these  things. 
Remember  that  the  least  which  God  gives  us  is 
greater  than  our  desert;  and  that,  were  it  never 
augmented,  it  would  still  suffice  to  save  us. 
Remember,  also,  that  if  it  were  to  grow  to 
greater  dimensions,  until  we  should  know  even 
as  we  are  known,  it  would  still  be  little  com- 
pared with  the  infinite  and  inexhaustible  deeps 
of  God.  It  is  so  sweet  to  know  Thee,  O  God, 
even  a  little,  that  we  would  be  content  if  Thou 
shouldst  teach  us  nothing  more. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


XTbe  /IDinistrg  of  Uemptation* 

The  Assaults  of  Temptation— No  Discharge  in  That 
War — The  Value  of  the  Conflict— Not  a  Sin  to 
BE  Tempted. 

'^^HE  disciple  of  the  Crucified  who  has  acquired 
habitual  self-abandonment,  will  have  learned 
that  God  reveals  His  fatherhood  by  those  veil- 
ings of  love  which  we  call  our  trials  and  pains, 
our  worries  and  discouragements. 

S.  Paul  represents  all  things,  not  only  afflic- 
tions, but  all  events,  as  working  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  God.  This  is  among 
the  noblest  utterances  of  one  to  w^hom  it  was 
given  to  see  very  deeply  into  Divine  truth.  It 
justifies  the  inference  that  all  the  forces  of  the 
natural  world ;  all  the  developments  of  history ; 
all  the  celestial  powers;  all  spiritual  wicked- 
nesses;^^ all  human  love  and  malice;  all  things 
ood  or  ill,  constitute  an  active  fellowship 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  TEMPTATION.  171 


co-operating  tinder  Divine  order  or  control,  to 
promote  the  good  of  those  who  are  in  union 
with  God  by  charity. 

This  truth,  therefore,  interprets  their  tempta- 
tions also. 

Temptations  are  influences  from  within  or 
from  without,  acting  through  thoughts,  pas- 
sions, or  tempers,  which  dispose  the  will  to 
violate  God's  law  or  forget  His  grace,  for  some 
self-satisfaction. 

Temptation  assailing  a  human  soul,  gets  its 
power  from  the  attractions  with  which  it 
clothes  itself;  it  always  holds  out  a  fascinating 
reward,  a  seeming  good  greater  than  the  good 
it  would  supplant.  Those  who  yield  get  what 
they  desired.  Therefore  the^^  cannot  be  said  to 
know  what  temptation  is.  But  temptation  is  a 
terrible  word  to  those  who  have  learned  its 
meaning  by  resisting  it.  For  that  brave  soul, 
resolved  to  resist  unto  blood,  and  not  to  yield, 
the  word  defines  the  sorest  trials  of  life.  It  tells 
of  bitter  assaults ;  of  battles  fought  and  to  be 
fought;  of  awful  moments  of  suspense;  of  nar- 
row escapes,  and  alas!  of  disheartening  and 
shameful  defeats. 

Temptations  do  not  cease  to  besiege  the  soul, 
be  it  never  so  strong.   A  thousand  defeats  do 


172 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


not  discourage  them.  If  they  seem  to  with- 
draw, it  is  only  that  the^^  may  change  form  and 
appear  in  other  shapes.  The  hoHest  men  have 
testified  that  there  is  no  discharge  in  that  war. 
You  cannot  escape  them ;  but  3^ou  should  not 
desire  to  escape  them  ;  for  what  does  he  know 
who  hath  not  been  tempted  ?  You  may  grow 
weary  of  the  long  struggle,  and  despairingly 
exclaim:  ^*How  long  will  ye  imagine  mischief 
against  every  man?'^  But,  courage!  For  so 
long  as  it  does  not  please  you  to  be  tempted,  be 
not  afraid.  Hated  temptations  are  a  sign  that 
God  has  not  deserted  you.  Courage!  In  the 
midst  of  the  furnace  exceeding  hot,''  the  form 
of  One  like  unto  the  Son  of  God  walks  by  your 
side.  Courage !  For  deadly  campaigns  are  not 
the  only  associations  of  the  word, — it  calls  up 
scenes  of  victory,  shouts  of  joy,  and  kindling 
alleluias.  Resisted  temptations  are  at  once  the 
proof,  the  triumph,  and  the  recompense  of  grace. 

It  is  unreasonable  to  complain  of  the  contin- 
uance of  the  conflict  because  of  the  importunity 
of  our  assailants.  We  may  rest  assured  that 
those  influences,  from  within  or  from  without, 
which,  if  successful  in  their  assault  upon  the  will, 
would  precipitate  us  into  sin,  are  vigorously 
alive,  and  keen  in  their  scent  of  the  passions  and 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  TEMPTATION.  173 


evil  propensities  that  still  hide  themselves  in  the 
depths  of  the  holiest  of  men ;  and  though  these 
passions  and  propensities  may  by  the  grace  of 
God  be  under  the  control  of  our  will,  more  or 
less  firmly,  they  will  never  cease  to  be  the  object 
of  attack  until  they  have  been  displaced  by  the 
virtues  of  perfection.  The  Church  teaches  that 
concupiscence,  or  the  fuel  of  sin,  remains  in  the 
baptized,  and  is  *^of  the  nature  of  sin,^^  in  that 
it  would  not  have  existed  had  sin  not  entered 
into  the  world ;  and  in  that  it  inclines  to  actual 
transgression  unless  opposed.  This  remaining 
infection  of  nature  is  therefore  a  capability  of 
sin.  The  inner  capability  of  anger,  envy,  jeal- 
ousy, hatred,  and  revenge,  of  the  still  lower  and 
more  humiliating  passions,  of  loss  of  grace  and 
the  ruin  of  the  soul,  has  not  yet  been  extirpated. 
The  process  of  its  eradication  may  be  arrested, 
and  this  we  know  from  experience ;  it  may  also 
be  defeated,  as  we  have  seen  by  observation. 
O,  how  the  heart  weeps  to  think  of  many  whom 
we  knew  and,  perhaps,  dearly  loved,  who  have 
fallen  victims  to  temptation,  and  died  without 
hope! 

''Many  a  stately  ship  lies  shattered 

Underneath  the  sounding  seas; 
But  the  grass  upon  the  hillside 

Waves  o'er  sadder  wrecks  than  these." 


174 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


Temptations  are  permitted  to  assail  us  from 
tmblest  sources  just  that  we  may  not  forget 
how  subtle,  aggressive,  and  active  are  the  evil 
forces,  within  and  without,  which,  if  unresisted, 
would  wreck  us  also,  soul  and  body.  It  is  in 
this  way  that  God  seeks  to  make  evil  a  minis- 
tration of  good.  ^'I  know,  O  Lord,  that  Thy 
judgments  are  right,  and  that  Thou  of  very 
faithfulness  hast  caused  me  to  be  troubled. 

It  is  often  a  source  of  great  pain  to  scrupu- 
lous but  uninstructed  Christians  that  they  are 
subject  to  temptations.  The  conscience  is  in- 
flamed and  a  feeling  of  mortification  overcomes 
them.  Conscious  that  strong  forces  are  at 
work  to  lead  them  into  forbidden  paths,  they 
bewail  their  condition,  and  think  themselves  to 
be  already  under  the  frown  of  a  dishonored  and 
displeased  Father.  But  why  should  they  imperil 
their  advantage  by  giving  place  to  such  fears  ? 
Temptations,  felt  but  resisted  and  overcome,  are 
separated  by  the  whole  heaven  from  tempta- 
tions surrendered  to.  In  His  judgments  of  souls, 
God  never  charges  up'^  resisted  temptations 
as  offenses.  Offenses  they  are  not,  but  rather 
victories.  It  is  not  the  assault,  but  the  surren- 
der, which  makes  the  sin.  In  the  moment  when 
the  impulse  touches  us,  we  should  fortify  the 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  TEMPTATION,  175 


will  by  prayer  and  renew  our  surrender  to  God ; 
we  should  stoutly  denounce  and  repudiate  the 
source  of  temptation ;  we  should  remember  our 
baptismal  vow  to  renounce  the  devil  and  all  his 
works ;  we  should  call  to  arms  all  the  powers  of 
our  better  nature,  and  we  should  remember 
that  God  is  nigh  at  hand.  The  enemy  can 
tempt,  but  he  cannot  force  us  to  yield,  if  we  at 
once  yield  ourselves  into  the  hands  of  God. 
Nothing  can  be  more  pleasing  to  Him  than  the 
strong  and  successful  struggle  of  a  soul  against 
enticements  to  sin;  for  it  is  the  triumph  of  His 
own  grace  poured  freely  forth  upon  the  tempted 
free-will,  and  the  triumph  at  the  same  time  of 
the  will  itself,  which  thereby  again  expresses  its 
preference  for  Him.  Let  us  not  then  tremble  at 
temptations,  as  though  being  tempted  were  a 
fault.  ^*Be  not  troubled,  however  ^eat  the 
temptations  that  assail  you.  Let  the  enemy 
rage  at  the  door  j  *  *  ^  are  sure  he  cannot 
enter  but  by  the  door  of  our  consent.  Let  us 
keep  it  closed,  often  taking  a  look  to  see  that 
it  is  properly  fastened,  and  there  is  nothing  to 
fear^^  (S.  Francis  de  Sales). 

We  must  also  consider  that  continuous  suc- 
cessful resistance  is  a  fruitful  means  of  increase 
in  spiritual  virility.  It  is  not  the  parade-ground. 


176 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


but  the  battle-field,  which  makes  the  soldier.  If 
by  the  cessation  of  temptation  we  should  become 
exempt  from  the  vigilance,  conflicts,  and  chances 
of  the  souVs  battle-fields,  we  would  probably 
lapse  into  efifeminac^^  and  become  mere  parade 
soldiers.  But  our  greatest  need  as  soldiers  of 
the  Cross  is  the  very  lesson  which  resisted  temp- 
tations teach  us ;  that  lesson  of  faith  by  which 
Moses  chose  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the 
people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of 
sin  for  a  season.  For  if  we  live  not  as  seeing 
things  invisible,  we  live  not  as  Christians.  It  is 
easy  enough  to  see  what  we  can  see  with  the 
eye  of  sense ;  but  to  see  with  the  souPs  eye  is  a 
painful  education.  When  we  study  life  with  the 
eye  of  faith  we  see  the  eternal  Father  every 
where  present.  The  most  trivial  event  is  large 
enough  to  claim  His  interest.  We  see  by  faith 
how  much  more  there  is  in  every  passing 
moment  than  can  be  discovered  by  the  eye  of 
sense ;  how  much  vaster  is  the  drama  in  which 
we  are  playing  our  parts ;  how  different  is  the 
far  off  event  to  which  everything  tends;  how 
serious  our  misjudgments  of  the  relative  value 
of  things.  Faith  bids  us  choose  for  our  ideal 
and  destin^^  that  of  which  sense  has  no  knowl- 
edge.  Faith  reveals  evil  as  a  good,  and  sin  as 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  TEMPTATION,  177 


overruled  into  a  blessing.  On  the  other  hand, 
what  poor  work  sense  makes  of  it !  what  con- 
fusion! what  doubt  and  unbelief!  what  disap- 
pointment! what  worldliness  and  self-seeking! 
what  unrest  and  misery !  The  Spirit  speaks  to 
our  spirit,  and  then,  forsooth !  we  turn  to  Him 
the  ear  of  sense. 

Now,  temptation  met  face  to  face,  and  over- 
come, becomes  transformed  into  a  means  of 
curing  this  preponderance  of  sense.  It  puts 
squarely  before  the  will  the  fateful  alternative. 
It  shows  the  chance  of  surrender  and  cowardly 
defeat,  it  is  true ;  but  it  also  presents  the  oppor- 
tunity to  develop  the  souPs  vision,  and  to 
throw  the  whole  weight  of  one's  being  on  the 
side  of  faith — an  exercise  which  promotes  spir- 
itual virility,  and  substitutes  Christlike  manli- 
ness in  place  of  that  sentimental  courage  which 
is  very  brave  in  activities,  but  very  invertebrate 
in  self-denial,  and  resistance  of  seduction  to 
paths  that  are  pleasing  to  the  flesh. 

When  the  whole  weight  of  the  will  casts 
itself  on  the  side  of  the  Spirit  it  enlists  the 
whole  weight  of  the  Divine  will  in  its  favor. 
There  is  no  moral  crisis  so  unseen  and  unimpor- 
tant as  to  escape  the  watchful  interest  of  God. 
Nothing  is  insignificant  to  Him  in  whose  eyes 


178 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


there  is  no  difference  between  our  great  and  our 
little.  All  things  are  alike  to  Him  who  made 
all.  For  all  emergencies  of  the  soul,  then,  has 
His  watchful  interest  provided. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


XTbe  TKIlai^s  of  lEscape* 

Expectation—  Resistance  — Avoidance  — Flight—  Substi- 
tution—Greater Attraction — Prayer — Discrimina- 
tion. 

PAUL  tells  us  that  God  has  furnished  a 
way  of  escape  from  every  temptation,  so 
that  no  one  need  fall  into  the  condemnation  of 
the  forefathers  in  the  wilderness,  who,  when 
tempted,  yielded,  and  were  sorely  punished. 

There  hath  no  temptation  taken  you  but  such 
as  is  common  to  man ;  but  God  is  faithful,  who 
will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye 
are  able;  but  will  with  the  temptation  also 
make  a  way  to  escape,  that  ye  may  be  able  to 
bearit/^ 

This  divinely  provided  way  of  escape  pre- 
sents itself  to  our  minds  under  many  forms,  of 
which  some  may  be  particularized. 


180 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


1.   The  way  of  expectation. 

The  orderly  succession  of  days  is  not  more 
certain  than  the  coming  of  temptations.  Until 
onr  susceptibility  to  temptation  ceases  (which 
shall  not  be  in  this  life),  the  tempter  will  not 
withdraw  from  the  field,  nor  will  God  cease  to 
permit  these  salutary  trials.  We  must  expect 
them,  and  we  ought  to  prepare  for  them.  Those 
who  are  so  unhappy  as  to  succumb  to  their 
assaults,  will  be  found  to  have  lost  the  habit  of 
anticipation.  Watch  and  pray  that  ye  enter 
not  into  temptation.'^  The  strength  of  an  army 
is  its  preparedness.  Half  the  battle  is  won  when 
the  first  onslaught  of  its  foe  finds  it  vigilant  and 
ready  for  action.  Too  many  Christian  people 
are  soldiers  for  peace  only.  They  respond  with 
alacrity  to  the  influences  of  religion,  and  flee  to 
God's  mercy  on  nimble  feet.  The  sense  of  par- 
don fills  them  with  rapture,  and  songs  of  praise 
burst  from  their  lips.  They  dream  themselves 
called  to  happiness,  while  their  true  vocation  is 
to  holiness.  Present  happiness  is  incidental 
only, — a  little  dispensation  of  sunshine  bursting 
through  the  clouds  that  hover  over  the  battle- 
fields of  the  soul,  the  gift  of  God  to  weary  sol- 
diers to  reinforce  their  courage  and  inspire  them 
with  hope,  and  very  different  in  character  from 


THE  WAYS  OF  ESCAPE. 


181 


the  emotions  of  a  superficial  devotion.  But 
these  mercurial  disciples  shrink  when  songs 
must  give  place  to  war^s  stern  alarms.  They 
believed  for  a  while,  just  as  long  as  there  was 
nothing  disagreeable  to  be  done ;  but  in  time  of 
temptation  they  fall  away.  He  that  would 
withstand  in  the  evil  day,  must  put  himself  in  a 
state  of  fully  equipped  readiness,  expecting 
trouble,  but  unabashed  and  strong  at  heart  if 
covered  with  the  whole  armor  of  God. 
2.  The  way  of  resistance. 
Resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  you.'^ 
He  knows  when  to  persist  and  when  to  retreat. 
A  will  which  fortifies  its  fortitude  by  strength 
from  above  and  stands  firm  as  a  rock,  has  set- 
tled the  issue.  The  important  point  is  not  to 
lose  one's  head.  He  has  nothing  to  fear  who 
cannot  be  frightened.  There  is  no  power  in 
temptation  of  itself, — its  only  strength  and 
opportunity  is  the  weakness  of  our  will;  and 
when  that  is  strong  and  calm  as  a  mountain, 
temptation  disappears  like  a  passing  cloud. 
What  an  example  we  have  presented  to  us  in 
the  temptations  of  our  Lord!  Without  agita- 
tion or  fear  He  turned  His  face  on  the  adversary, 
and  with  one  word  of  deep  significance  van- 
quished him:    ''Get  thee  hence,  Satan.''  We 


182 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


need  to  copy  that  calm  courage,  if  we  also 
would  triumph.  It  will  tax  our  powers,  and 
the  tension  may  for  a  little  while  be  almost 
insupportable ;  but  resistance  ushers  in  as  great 
rewards  as  victories,  for  it  shall  be  to  us  as  it 
was  to  our  Lord:  '^Then  the  devil  leaveth 
Him,  and  behold  angels  came  and  ministered 
unto  Him/' 

3.    The  way  of  avoidance. 

Many  temptations  are  the  natural  conse- 
quence of  putting  ourselves,  thoughtlessly,  in 
the  way  of  danger.  We  know  from  experience 
that  there  are  certain  situations  with  respect  to 
persons  and  places  where  we  shall  surely  meet 
with  temptations.  Let  us  exercise  foresight, 
and  avoid  such  situations.  The  occasions  of 
sin  are  as  much  to  be  dreaded  as  the  sins  to 
which  they  entice  us. 

^*And  Lot  pitched  his  tent  toward  Sodom.'' 
It  was  a  wrong  and  disastrous  approximation. 
The  beautiful  valley  which  he  chose  was  bor- 
dered southward  by  Sodom,  and  ^^the  men  of 
Sodom  were  wicked,  and  sinners  before  God 
exceedingly."  His  approach  was  gradual.  He 
pitched  his  tent  towards  Sodom.  Then  seeking 
other  pastures  for  his  flock  he  encamped  still 
nearer ;  and  when  he  reached  the  neighborhood 


THE  WAYS  OF  ESCAPE, 


183 


of  the  city  it  was  not  long  before  the  tent  that 
was  pitched  toward  Sodom  was  exchanged  for 
a  house  in  Sodom,  with  consequences  to  himself 
and  his  wife  and  children  which  one  shudders  to 
recall.  We  must  avoid  Lot^s  folly.  We  must 
shun  dangerous  places,  wrong  companionships, 
doubtful  vocations  and  recreations,  demoraliz- 
ing books,  everything  which  would  make  it 
harder  to  escape  from  temptation.  We  must 
learn  the  art  of  saying,  No !  in  things  not  wrong 
in  themselves,  but  which  experience  has  shown 
to  be  wrong  in  their  tendencies  or  associations. 
The  Church  does  not  require  of  her  children  an 
extreme  asceticism ;  but  she  commands  them  to 
use  their  liberty  wisely,  and  solemnly  does  she 
demand  a  strong  pure  life  which  will  make 
no  compromise  with  the  worldly  spirit,  nor 
approach  too  near  that  border-line  of  morals 
which  marks  off  her  modest  asceticism  from 
self-indulgence  and  frivolity.  The  siren  voices 
of  Sodom  will  call  in  vain,  the  luring  devils  of 
the  world  will  tempt  in  vain,  those  who  enter 
into  the  fulness  of  that  restrained  life  which 
she  renders  practicable. 
4.    The  way  of  flight. 

There  are  temptations  which  we  dare  not 
face.   Such,  for  example,  are  temptations  to 


184 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


sensual  sin.  We  can  escape  them  only  by  fleeing 
from  them.  We  should  not  stop  to  parley  with 
them,  but  at  once  and  at  any  cost  neutralize 
their  fascinating  power  by  physical  separation 
and  distance;  as  a  bird  hunted  on  the  plain 
seeks  the  greater  security  of  the  forests  that 
mantle  the  mountain  slope,  by  instant  and 
rapid  flight.  ''Flee  as  a  bird,  to  your  moun- 
tain.'^ 

5.    The  way  of  substitution. 

Every  temptation  points  to  a  definite  result, 
some  particular  sin  of  thought  or  desire,  of 
omission  or  commission.  In  place  of  the  per- 
verse inclination  suggested,  a  valorous  mind 
will  substitute  its  opposite  virtue  as  the  end  in 
view,  and  concentrate  all  his  energies  on  its 
acquisition.  If  the  besetting  sin  is  self-conceit, 
answer  it  back  by  some  act  of  humiliation.  If 
the  tongue  is  ready  to  defame  another,  punish 
it  by  speaking  favorably  of  him  ;  and  no  one  is 
without  his  good  points.  If  you  are  on  the 
verge  of  vexation  because  some  one  has  been 
stupid  and  thoughtless,  recall  similar  lapses  of 
your  own.  It  is  possible  to  master,  or  at  least 
modify,  the  violence  of  any  passion  by  practis- 
ing its  opposite.  One  of  the  meekest  and  gent- 
lest of  men  became  so  by  this  artifice  of  substi- 


THE  WAYS  OF  ESCAPE. 


185 


tution.  **The  humility  which  you  admire  in 
the  saints  is  conquered  pride;  gentleness,  is  con- 
quered anger;  patience,  conquered  sensuality; 
charity,  conquered  selfishness/' 

6.   The  way  of  greater  attraction. 

The  power  of  temptation  lies  in  its  attract- 
iveness. If  it  did  not  offer  promises  of  seeming 
good,  it  would  tempt  in  vain.  If  there  were  no 
profit  in  gaining  the  whole  world,  men  w^ould 
not  risk  their  souls  for  it ;  but  there  is  profit  in 
many  ways,  as  they  estimate  values.  He  who 
yields  to  the  seductions  of  sin  justifies  himself  by 
the  pleasure  which  it  will  afford  him.  Let  us 
stop  to  analyze  the  results  which  are  held  out 
to  us  as  a  glittering  bait.  Is  the  good  seeming 
or  real?  What  have  others  found  it  to  be?  And 
is  it  more  attractive  than  God  ?  Is  it  so  desir- 
able that  to  gain  it  I  am  willing  to  dissolve  the 
union  of  my  soul  with  the  source  of  all  true  joy  ? 
Or,  shall  I  dissolve  the  spell  it  throws  over  me 
with  indignation,  and  cleave  to  Him  ? 

And  this  suggests  the  obligation  which  binds 
us,  neglect  it  though  we  may,  to  increase  our 
knowledge  of  God ;  for  the  more  we  know  of 
Him  the  greater  is  His  power  to  draw  us  aw^ay 
from  the  fascinations  of  temptation.  If  we 
limit  our  conceptions  of  God  by  what  \\q  know^ 


186 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


of  Him,  and  are  eager  for  no  more,  we  dishonor 
Him  and  dwarf  ourselves.  In  God — and  this  is 
the  lesson  Christian  people  need  to  take  to 
heart — there  are  infinite  depths.  He  that  made 
the  heavens  with  all  their  shiny  host  which  no 
man  can  number,  and  whose  farthest  heights 
the  most  penetrating  glass  cannot  scale,  shall 
not  His  majesty  be  greater  than  the  heavens, 
and  His  glory  above  the  stars?  O,  if  my  God 
were  only  as  my  little  thought  of  Him,  my  life 
would  be  bereft  of  its  highest  motive ;  for,  while 
the  glory  that  is  revealed  is  enough  to  win  my 
heart's  homage,  and  the  majesty  which  I  can 
perceive  arouses  within  me  a  sense  of  awe  and 
hushed  adoration,  my  whole  being  is  prostrated 
in  lowest  humility,  and  deepest  worship,  and 
overwhelming  fear,  when  I  think  of  Him  as 
infinitely  more  attractive  than  the  loftiest  con- 
ceptions which  the  mind  of  man  has  formed  of 
Him.  It  is  a  terrible  thing  not  to  know  God  in 
such  a  way  that  no  fascination  of  the  world,  or 
the  flesh,  can  have  any  reigning  power  over  our 
wills. 

7.   The  way  of  prayer. 

This  means  many  plaints  in  words,  and 
many  ejaculations  scattered  along  the  way,  as, 
Lord,  have  merc^^  upon  me;  Christ,  have  mercy 


THE  WAYS  OF  ESCAPE, 


187 


Upon  me;  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  me.  But  are 
we  lonely  pilgrims,  assailed  in  the  desert  of  this 
world  by  fierce  Bedouins,  with  nothing  to  de- 
pend upon  but  our  own  feeble  resources  and  a 
distant  friend,  upon  whom  in  the  urgency  of 
our  peril,  we  call  for  help  ?  There  is  no  basis  in 
the  facts  of  spiritual  life  for  such  a  theory  as 
this,  and  yet  it  is  the  most  that  many  make  of 
prayer. 

What  we  call  the  spiritual  life  is  the  united 
life  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  our  spirits  within  us.  \ 
*^The  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you;''  within  j 
you  as  a  distinct  person,  a  body,  soul,  and| 
spirit;  within  that  spirit  which  is  within  yourl 
body,  that  spirit  which  is  the  centre  and  home^ 
of  spiritual  life,  because  it  is  the  dwelling-place  , 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.    When  we  are  tempted,  / 
we  are  tempted  to  dishonor  this  interior  union ; 
to  desecrate  the  temple  of  God  which  we  are, 
and  to  insult  the  Awful  Majesty  and  do  despite 
to  the  Tender  Love  of  our  Divine  Indweller. 
Now  we  see  what  is  the  real  essence  of  that 
which  we  call  prayer.    It  is  the  action  of  the 
human  spirit  taking  refuge  in  the  Holy  Spirit 
for  deliverance  and  victory.  The  Christian  who 
believes  that  he  dwells  in  God  and  God  in  him, 
and  that  he  has  wholly  and  lovingly  abandoned 


188 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


himself  to  God  as  his  interior  guide  and  guar- 
dian, may  test  the  reahty  of  his  surrender  as  the 
habitual  disposition  of  his  spirit,  by  the  fruits 
of  his  prayer.  Does  the  Holy  Spirit,  responding 
to  the  cries  of  the  human,  give  strength  to 
abhor  and  resist  the  seductive  forces  that  seek 
to  destroy  the  union  ?  Is  the  Divine  Indweller 
teaching  him  to  make  good  use  of  the  ways  of 
escape?  Have  the  old  t^^rants  that  held  the  will 
in  chains  loosened  their  gravSp?  Rest  assured 
that  the  present  vigor  or  debility  of  temptation 
is  an  accurate  measure  of  the  present  condition 
of  our  interior  union  with  God;  a  union  more 
and  more  cemented  by  our  resort  to  Him  for 
help  in  every  time  of  need.  Temptation  will 
have  lost  its  power  of  succeSvSful  assault  when, 
by  long  exercise  of  this  prayer,  His  rule  within 
us  is  made  perfect. 

8.    The  way  of  discrimination. 

It  has  already  been  pointed  out  that  there  is 
all  the  difference  in  the  world  between  tempta- 
tions overcome,  and  temptations  surrendered 
to.  In  either  instance  there  is  conflict,  and  the 
pains  and  jjerils  of  the  battlefield;  but  victory 
is  victory,  and  defeat  is  defeat.  Victory  sup- 
plies a  theme  for  the  songs  of  angels,  and  defeat 
rejoices  those  whom  we  have  no  reason  or  right 


THE  WAYS  OF  ESCAPE, 


189 


to  make  happy.  There  is  great  need  of  enlight- 
enment in  this  matter;  for  many  are  almost  as 
unhappy  over  the  assault  as  over  the  defeat. 
They  must  be  taught  to  discriminate.  You 
have  been  distressed  and  disheartened  by  the 
sudden  presence  of  impure  thoughts  or  images, 
or  of  unbelief,  or  of  rebellious  feelings  against 
God,  which  have  been  injected  into  the  mind,  as 
it  would  seem,  without  premeditation  on  your 
part.  These  experiences  are  very  painful  in  any 
view  of  them ;  but  how  do  we  receive  them  ?  If 
they  fill  us  with  horror  and  disgust,  and  if  our 
w411s  rise  up  in  stalwart  resistance  of  them,  we 
may,  and  ought  to,  rest  quietly  in  God,  and 
suffer  the  serenity  of  our  trust  to  be  disturbed 
only  as  we  would  be  disturbed  by  the  barking 
of  dogs  on  the  street.  Disagreeable,  but  harm- 
less ! 

In  times  of  temptation  we  often  feel  as  if  God 
were  so  far  away,  and  so  silent,  and  seemingly 
so  unconcerned.  O  that  I  knew  where  I  might 
find  Him  !  But  we  must  discriminate  between 
God  and  our  perception  of  Him.  Be  patient 
with  yourself;  for  it  is  your  vision  which  is  dim, 
and  not  God  who  has  gone  away.  Do  not  des- 
pair because  you  are  finding  out  what  a  poor 
pair  of  eyes  your  soul  has.   The  film  over  your 


190 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


sight  does  not  diminish  the  golden  splendor  of 
the  sun  in  the  least. 

Successful  temptation  is  always  followed  by 
other  temptations,  chief  among  which  is  the 
temptation  to  despair.  *^It  is  vain  to  serve 
God;  and  what  profit  is  it  that  *  ^  *  we 
have  walked  mournfully  before  the  Lord  of 
hosts  ?  But  before  we  succumb  to  this  serious 
attack,  let  us  take  a  little  time,  steal  away  to 
some  quiet  retreat,  and  think:  What  does 
defeat  signify  ?  Have  I  really  changed  masters, 
and  substituted  disloyalty  for  love  ?  Does  this 
one  treasonable  disregard  of  my  Father's  will 
really  represent  me  ?  And  must  I  tremble  as  if 
the  bells  of  doom  were  ringing  the  knell  of  my 
soul  ?  Or,  is  this  painful  defection  contrary  to 
the  general  tone  and  intent  of  my  life  ?  Because 
tripped  up  for  the  moment,  do  I  really  propose 
to  renounce  my  intention  to  live  in  and  for  God  ? 
O,  my  God,  anything  but  that !  Do  I  not  hate 
them,  O  Lord,  that  hate  Thee?  and  am  I  not 
grieved  with  those  that  rise  up  against  Thee? 

We  should  also  discriminate  between  trials 
and  temptations.  Trials  are  of  God,  and  min- 
ister to  our  profit  if  we  receive  them  as  He  sends 
them.  Behold,  happy  is  the  man  whom  God 
correcteth:  therefore  despise  not  thou  the  chas- 


THE  WAYS  OF  ESCAPE. 


191 


tening  of  the  Almighty/'  But  temptations  are 
not  of  God,  and  their  end  is  sin  and  death.  Let 
no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted,  that  he  is 
tempted  of  God/'  The  Divine  relation  to  temp- 
tation is  that  of  an  overruling  control,  by  which 
what  is  in  itself  unto  evil  is  circumvented,  as  it 
were,  and  made  to  contribute  to  good  ends. 
Our  relation  to  temptation  is  that  of  a  strong, 
wary,  vigilant  soldier  to  his  foe ;  and  we  must 
fight  it  to  the  death. 

Good  Christians  are  sometimes  subjected  to 
assaults  of  extraordinary  severity.  '^AU  Thy 
waves  and  Thy  billows  are  gone  over  me.''  In 
its  fright  and  desolation  the  soul  infers  that 
God  has  forgotten  to  be  gracious,  and  has  de- 
livered it  over  to  the  oppression  of  the  enemy. 
But  we  must  distinguish  between  the  signs  of 
desertion  and  those  of  discipline.  If  the  former 
(which  God  forbid!)  we  shall  be  glorying  in 
our  shame  without  much  present  worry.  If  the 
latter,  we  shall  find  David's  words  on  our  lips : 
Why  art  thou  cast  down,0  my  soul?  and  why 
art  thou  disquieted  wathin  me?  hope  thou  in 
God,  for  I  shall  yet  praise  Him  who  is  the  health 
of  my  countenance  and  my  God." 

But,  alas !  our  temptations  are  not  always 
resisted.   They  have  proved  their  strength,  and 


192 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


too  often  have  we  in  our  weakness  done  their 
will.  Yes,  and  so  will  it  be  (let  ns  hope  in 
diminishing  frequency)  to  the  end.  There  is  no 
one  who  has  not  fallen.  All  the  shining  ones 
have  treaded  that  dolorous  pathway.  But 
over  against  these  lapses  is  the  unutterable 
patience  of  God,  in  praise  of  which  may  we 
spend  an  eternity  of  alleluias  !  S.  Paul  told  his 
son  Timothy  that  he,  as  the  chief  of  sinners, 
obtained  mercy,  that  in  him  Jesus  Christ  might 
show  forth  all  long-suffering,  for  a  pattern  to 
them  which  should  hereafter  believe  on  Him  to 
life  everlasting.  He  was  a  pattern  or  example 
of  the  inexhaustibleness  of  Divine  forbearance 
towards  an  erring  but  penitent  soul ;  and  well 
may  we  gaze  long  on  that  pattern  which  tells 
us  that  God  is  as  truly  our  refuge  when  we  have 
lost  the  battle,  as  when  we  have  won  it. 

And  then  let  us  begin  again.  It  is  a  wise 
maxim  which  teaches  us  to  be  always  beginning 
again  to  repent,  to  believe,  to  surrender  our- 
selves, to  trust,  and  to  love.  There  is  not  as 
much  danger  in  the  failure  of  a  beginning,  as  in 
our  failure  to  make  a  new  beginning.  We  can- 
not become  again  literally  what  we  were.  We 
may  hunger  for  the  fervor  of  our  first  espousals, 
but  that  would  be  to  long  for  the  flowers  rather 


THE  WAYS  OF  ESCAPE, 


193 


than  the  fruits  of  our  early  joys.  They  will  not 
return,  and  it  is  well.  ^*  Let  us  go  on  to  perfec- 
tion, not  la3ang  again  the  foundation  " — this  is 
the  governing  principle  of  progress.  Neverthe- 
less, the  practice  of  self-abandonment  is  a  peren- 
nial duty  as  necessary  to  the  well-being  of  the 
soul  now,  as  then.  We  may  therefore  address 
ourselves  to  God  as  if  we  were  just  now  for  the 
first  time  approaching  Him  on  the  terms  of  His 
invitation ;  we  may  begin  as  if  we  had  never 
begun  before ;  as  if  it  were  the  first  time,  though 
it  may  not  be  as  that  first  time.  Let  us  renew 
our  baptismal  vows.  Let  us  approach  the  altar 
as  if  it  were  our  first  cotnmunion.  O,  my  God, 
my  old  self  has  got  me  into  trouble  again,  and 
my  proud  heart,  which  Thou  hast  often  broken 
with  the  hammer  of  penitence,  is  trying  to  put 
itself  together  again.  What  can  I  say  but  that 
it  is  just  like  me?  Only  one  thing  more,  dear 
Lord,  can  I  say — it  is  just  like  Thee  to  be  read\^ 
to  receive  again  Thy  foolish  creature,  and 
remember  not,  through  the  obliterating  power 
of  the  Cross,  the  sad  record  of  my  lapses  in  the 
hour  of  temptation. 


CHAPTER  XVIIl. 


Ubc  /iDeans  ot  ©race* 

The  Grace  Which  Makes  Holy,  Found  in  the  Means  of 
Grace— The  Law  of  Love  and  the  Love  of  Law  in 
Union— The  Church,  Sacraments,  and  Ministry  to 
BE  Honored. 

HE  zealous  worker  who  expends  his  energies 
upon  external  utilities,  putting  excessive 
emphasis  on  his  activity,  as  though  God  had  not 
called  him  primarily  to  an  interior  life,  is  liable 
to  commit  the  error  of  making  of  his  labors  a 
sacrament.  His  valuation  of  their  influence  in 
promoting  growth  is  so  high,  that  he  seeks  from 
them  the  force  that  shall  sustain  his  faith,  or 
the  stimulus  that  shall  revive  his  drooping 
graces ;  and  he  urgently  exhorts  the  beginner  to 
engage  at  once  in  some  form  of  outward  activity 
as  a  choice  means  of  culture.  This  sacramental- 
izing  of  work  depreciates  the  importance  of 
God's  appointed  channels  of  grace  as  promotive 


THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE.  195 


of  progress  in  holiness.  To  such  an  extent  has 
this  been  done,  that  we  are  in  no  danger  of 
exaggerating  the  orders  and  sacraments  which 
Christ  hath  ordained,  if  that  were  possible.  We 
do  not  believe  it  to  be  possible,  if  they  are  used 
in  the  manner  intended  by  Him  who  instituted 
them.  A  perversion  of  the  Divine  intent  in  their 
use,  however,  does  not  justify  their  disuse,  or 
the  denial  of  their  grace. 

Notice  how  the  sacramentalizing  of  work 
concedes  the  necessity  of  the  sacramental  and 
sacerdotal  principles.  Those  who  depreciate 
the  grace  of  orders,  assume  functions  which  are 
distinctly  sacerdotal  in  their  semblance ;  and  in 
denying  the  grace  of  the  sacraments  they  invite 
us  to  find  grace  in  other  instrumentalities. 
They  cannot  escape  the  principle  because  it  lies 
in  the  very  nature  of  things.* 


*  A  writer  in  The  Irish  Ecclesiastical  Gazette  exposes  the 
fallacy  of  the  common  expression  about  ''not  allowing 
anything  or  anyone  to  come  between  God  and  the  soul." 
Those  who  use  it,  he  says,  seem  to  take  the  word  "  between  " 
in  the  sense  of  an  obstacle,  rather  than  of  a  connecting  link 
or  medium.  A  bridge  comes  between  the  opposite  banks  of 
a  river;  but  it  comes  between,  not  to  separate,  but  to  con- 
nect. Between  the  shores  of  opposite  continents  sail  the 
great  passenger  steamers,  not  as  barriers,  but  as  necessary 
connecting  links.  The  extreme  individualistic  theory  is 
incompatible  with  belief  in  the  visible  Church.  But,  says 
this  writer,  people  are  not  alwa\^s  consistent.  He  cites  the 
case  of  Garibaldi,  who  said  ''I  believe  in  God.  I  am  of  the 
religion  of  Christ.     I  do  not  admit  any  intermediary 


196 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


The  incarnation  is  the  supreme  evidence  that 
God  has  adopted  the  mediatory  method,  by 
which  fallen  man  may  seek  His  face  and  not  die. 
Our  Lord  said:  ^^No  man  cometh  unto  the 
Father  but  by  Me/^  Fundamental  to  Chris- 
tianity is  the  apostolic  declaration:  There  is 
one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God  and 
man,  the  man  Christ  Jesus/'  And  it  is  evident 
that  our  Lord  adopted  and  extended  the  media- 
tory method  in  His  establishment  of  the  Church, 
with  its  ministry  and  sacraments,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  carrying  on  His  work  in  the  world. 
These  instituted  means  are  so  essentially  associ- 
ated with,  and  developed  from,  the  incarnation, 
that  those  who  reject  them  ought  pari  passu  to 
decline  to  walk  in  that  royal  highway  to  the 
King's  palace,  and  this  they  would  do  if  they 
were  logical.   Alas,  many  are!   The  sacerdotal 


between  God  and  man."  He  lostno  opportunity  of  express- 
ing his  hatred  and  contempt  for  priests.  Yet  he  hinivSelf 
baptized  an  infant  at  Verona.  He  said  :  "I  baptize  thee  in 
the  name  of  God  and  of  the  legislator  Jesus.  Ma^^est  thou 
become  an  apostle  of  truth !  Love  th3^  neighbor ;  assist  the 
unfortunate;  be  strong  to  conquer  the  tyrants  of  the  soul 
and  of  the  body."  Without  dwelling  upon  the  alteration 
of  the  baptismal  formula  as  ordained  by  "the  legislator 
Jesus,"  it  is  to  be  observed  that  on  this  occasion  Garibaldi 
acts  as  an  "  intermediary  "  himself.  We  believe  it  was  never 
imagined  that  anyone  might  baptize  himself,  and  therefore  it 
is  inconsistent  for  one  who  does  not  admit  an  intermediary  be- 
tween God  and  man  to  retain  baptism,  or  to  profess  allegiance 
to  "  the  legislator  Jesus." — From  the  Living-  Church. 


THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE. 


197 


and  sacramental  principles  are  of  the  essence  of 
Christianity;  for  Christ  was  our  great  High 
Priest,  and  His  authority  underlies  the  instru- 
ments of  Grace.  To  be  rid  of  sacerdotalism, 
His  priesthood  must  be  destroyed.  To  escape 
the  sacraments.  His  authority  must  be  denied. 
It  is  wiser  to  hold  fast  to  the  old  truth,  that  He, 
who  is  the  only  priest  by  nature,  chose  to  extend 
His  priestly  work  by  delegation  or  embassador- 
ship.  On  His  first  appearance  among  the  apos- 
tles after  His  resurrection.  He  uttered  these 
solemn  and  pregnant  words:  ^^As  the  Father 
hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send  I  you ;  "  and  powers 
spiritual  which  had  been  previously  exercised  by 
Himself  alone  were  committed  to  them  as  His 
agents  and  stewards.  And  then  He  fastens  His 
people  to  the  very  throne  of  God  by  this  chain 
of  three  links  :  He  that  receiveth  3'ou  receiveth 
Me,  and  he  that  receiveth  Me  receiveth  Him 
that  sent  Me^' — a  three-fold  reception  which 
binds  together  in  an  indissoluble  unity  the 
Father  manifesting  Himself,  the  Divine  man 
who  is  this  Manifestation,  and  the  sacerdotal 
agents  doing  His  work  through  the  ages,  bless- 
ing His  people  by  their  benediction,  baptizing 
them  b}^  their  baptisms,  forgiving  them  by  their 
absolutions,  confirming  them  by  their  laying  on 


198 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


*  of  hands,  and  conveying  His  precious  Divine 
Humanity  to  them  by  their  eucharists. 

It  is  necessary  to  revert  to  these  first  princi- 
ples because  many  who  seek  the  grace  which 
makes  men  holy,  shrink  unreasonably  from  the 
means  of  grace.  Awakened  Marthas  who  hunger 
to  find  the  one  thing  needful  which  Mary  chose, 
and  who  desire  to  carry  their  solemn  resolves 
into  good  effect,  must  seek  God's  guidance  where 
they  received  their  baptism,  their  confirmation, 
their  communions.  The  Ethiopian  eunuch  under- 
stood not  the  prophecies  which  foretold  a  suffer- 
ing Messiah — *'How  can  I,  except  some  man 
should  guide  me?  But  when  S.  Philip  (acting 
in  the  name  of  his  Master)  opened  the  Script- 
ures unto  him,  he  believed  and  straightway 
asked  for  Holy  Baptism.  O,  if  souls  hungry  for 
God  and  groping  in  darkness  for  lack  of  a  little 
help,  would  only  ignore  the  barriers  which  error 
has  put  between  them  and  their  spiritual  fath- 
ers, how  many  of  our  Marthas  would  seek 
Mary's  place  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  !  Go,  troubled 
spirit,  go  to  your  pastor  and  tell  him  3^our 
desire;  or  if  not  to  him,  to  some  priest  wise  in 
the  things  pertaining  to  the  interior  life.  Or,  if 
this  dreadful  reticence  cannot  be  overcome,  do 
not,  for  your  undying  soul's  sake,  stumble  on  in 


THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE. 


199 


ignorance  and  consequent  misery  for  the  lack  of  ♦ 
God's  guidance,  through  the  written  means  by 
which  those  who  are  wise  in  the  science  of  sanc- 
tity have  sought  to  counsel  you. 

Above  all  things,  the  heart  that  is  hungry  for 
God  needs  to  be  heroic  in  freeing  the  conscience 
from  every  trace  of  that  one-sided  subjectivism 
w^hich  makes  little  or  nothing  of  the  Divine  ordi- 
nances, and  which  has  vociferated  the  charge  of 
defective  spirituality  against  those  who  hcfld  to 
the  institutional  and  sacramental  ideas  until 
many  believe  it — a  charge  to  be  met  wdth  a 
straight,  strong  denial,  and  a  fearless  appeal  to 
history  and  comparison  of  fruits.  Spiritual 
graces  are  not  the  antithesis  of  the  means  of 
grace.  God  has  joined  them  in  one.  The  law 
of  love  and  the  love  of  law  are  co-partners. 
Separated,  the  legal  tendenc3^  no  doubt  works 
into  formalism ;  as  the  sentimental  tendenc^^ 
ends  in  antinomianism  and  fanaticism.  But 
love,  regulated  by  law^,  finds  expression  in  defi- 
nite rules  of  conduct  and  methods  of  approach 
to  God.  It  is  the  nature  of  the  hidden  principle 
of  life  which  God  has  garnered  in  every  seed  to 
develop  after  its  kind ;  lifting  its  first  tender 
spire  of  green  to  the  air,  putting  forth  leaves 
and  branches,  making  its  prophec}^  of  bloom  in 


200 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


the  nascent  bud,  and  bursting  at  length  into 
the  beauty  of  the  perfect  flower.  When  grace 
springs  into  activity  in  the  soul  its  growth  is 
by  the  means  of  grace.  Those  who  shun  the 
sacraments  because  they  think  the  law  of  love 
to  admit  them  to  immediate  contact  with  God, 
without  means,  must  be  warned  that  He  who 
has  appointed  the  means,  and  commanded  us  to 
own  the  love  of  law  in  all  its  regulative  power, 
has  hot  justified  their  opinion.  They  deny  a 
universal  principle;  and  it  is  not  surprising  that 
some  baptize  their  enthusiasms  of  unregulated 
feeling  with  the  name  of  perfection ;  nor  is  it 
any  wonder  that  their  professed  absorption  in 
God  has  the  appearance  of  absorption  in  them- 
selves. Why  do  the3^  not  remember  that 
God's  love  under  the  old  law  expressed  itself  in 
a  covenant,  a  decalogue,  an  altar  and  a  priest- 
hood? Why  should  it  seem  incongruous  that, 
under  the  new  law,  that  same  love  should 
express  itself  in  an  Incarnation,  a  Church,  Sac- 
raments, and  an  Apostolic  Ministry  ?  Love, 
then,  as  the  human  response,  should  seek  to 
shape  itself  to  those  external  helps  and  appli- 
ances which  have  been  appointed.  To  live  our 
human  life,  we  must  plod  along  the  beaten 
paths  of  duty,  guided  by  the  angel  of  common 


THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE. 


201 


sense,  without  making  much  account  of  wings 
and  rapturous  soarings  just  yet.  Love  wants 
to  know  how  to  love  God  and  man;  and  it 
should  be  glad  to  visit  Sinai  and  ascend  to  the 
Temple  and  sit  at  the  feet  of  them  that  sit  in 
Moses'  seat;  and  it  will  not  wish  to  see  the  new 
law  shorn  of  those  visible  institutes  existing  by 
God's  will  in  time  and  space,  by  which  it  ex- 
presses its  worship  of  Him,  and  its  charity 
towards  men.  The  Church  idea  does  not  rele- 
gate me  to  the  misty  region  of  pure  spirit,  tellirig 
me  to  go  wander  like  a  ghost  wherever  my 
emotions  may  lead  me;  but  rather  ministers  to 
me  as  an  embodied  spirit  by  its  sacraments  and 
orders,  its  laws  and  offices.  It  comes  to  the 
infant  in  its  cradle,  follows  it  in  its  youth, 
blesses  it  in  its  maturity,  smiles  upon  its  nup- 
tials, opens  the  treasures  of  grace  to  its  peni- 
tence, sheds  tears  of  mingled  sorrow  and  triumph 
over  its  tomb,  and  ever  bears  it  in  remembrance 
as  one  of  the  members  of  Christ,  that  it  may 
have  its  perfect  consummation  and  bliss,  both 
in  body  and  soul,  in  the  eternal  glory.  And  the 
Church  furnishes  love  a  sacred  language  in  which 
to  syllable  itself  by  acts  of  faith  and  worship,  by 
obedience,  by  beneficence,  and  by  holy  endeavors 
after  an  interior  life.    Thus  the  Church  is  the 


202 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


garden  in  which  the  flowers  of  sanctity  best 
grow ;  for  therein  the  Holy  Spirit  is,  as  it  were, 
its  very  atmosphere. 

In  rejecting  the  conventional  standard  of  dis- 
cipleship,  and  resolving  to  lead  a  life  of  prefer- 
ence for  God,  we  must  say:  will  arise  and 
go  to  my  Father/'  But  where  shall  He  be 
found?  One  reason  why  so  many  Christians 
lead  exterior  lives  is  because  they  think  of  God 
as  living  somewhere  exterior  to  themselves. 
Omnipresent  He  certainly  is;  but  those  who 
seek  Him  shall  find  Him  where  He  finds  them. 
Now  the  Ntry  essence  of  the  Church  idea,  and  of 
the  sacramental  idea,  is  that  in  the  means  of 
grace  God,  and  I,  meet,  and  are  made  one.  We 
dwell  in  Him  and  He  in  us.  All  mediatory  con- 
tact touches  our  spirits.  The  love  of  law  dove- 
tails into  the 'law  of  love.  Hence,  he  that  would 
find  God  must  look  within,  where  sacramental 
grace  finds  the  soul.  There  is  the  scene  of  the 
new  birth.  There  is  the  throne-room  where  He 
listens  to  prayer.  There  is  the  secret  place 
where  the  Body  and  Blood  nourish  us,  and 
where  we  enjoy  sweet  intimacy  with  our  Lord. 
There  is  the  school  in  which  He  teaches  us  how 
to  abandon  ounselves  into  His  keeping,  without 
fear  or  reservation.    The  essence  of  formalism 


THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE. 


203 


lies  in  our  not  following  the  means  as  far  as 
they  go.  Follow  the  sacraments  as  far  as  they 
go,  and  they  will  make  you  a  saint.  Follow 
them,  and  a  silence  more  mystic  than  that  of  a 
chancel  at  daybreak  will  take  up  its  abode 
within  you.  The  voices  of  the  world  cannot 
penetrate  that  solemn  silence.  Ineffable  peace 
dwells  within.  Victories  are  gained  over  self, 
and  the  flesh  is  subdued  to  the  spirit.  More 
and  more  the  soul  learns  not  to  trust  itself,  and 
more  and  more  learns  that  it  can  do  all  things 
through  Him  who  makes  over  to  it  His  strength. 
It  becomes  by  degrees  easier  to  avoid  sin  and  its 
occasions;  to  mortify  the  passions ;  to  moderate 
the  imagination,  and  to  bring  the  reason  into 
subjection  to  Eternal  Wisdom;  to  love  God 
with  no  uncertain  affection ;  to  take  adversities 
as  blessings,  and  to  see  in  every  cross  a  sign  of 
love. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Ht  tbe  Bltat. 

The  Incarnation  the  Union  of  Two  Worlds — The  Holy 
Eucharist  its  Analogy— The  New  Eye  and  Vision- 
Relations  OF  THE  Branch  and  the  Vine. 

^^HERE  are  souls  lifted  up  by  grace  to  the 
atmosphere  of  a  devout  life,  who  know 
how  to  leave  everything  behind,  and  find  the 
mystic  sweetness  of  a  Divine  sanctuary  in  the 
secret  of  His  Presence.  To  them  that  Presence 
is  the  purest  joy  of  life;  the  foretaste  of  heaven ; 
the  prophecy  of  eternal  salvation.  Into  the 
hiding  of  that  Presence  they  come,  and  forget 
the  care  and  turmoil  of  the  day ;  to  Him  they 
flee  from  the  specters  of  the  mind;  there  they 
listen  to  the  voice  ear  hath  not  heard,  and  lean 
upon  the  bosom  eye  hath  not  seen,  and  lose 
themselves  in  the  depths  of  the  great  mystery 
which  steals  over  them  like  a  dream  with 
charmed  beauty — real  as  a  dream  is  not,  but 


AT  THE  ALTAR. 


205 


realized  only  by  those  whose  spirits  are  open  to 
the  inflow  of  supernatural  tides. 

There  are  some  things  which  are  true  as  the 
existence  of  the  sun  is  true — we  perceive  them 
with  our  physical  organs.  But  the  deepest 
truths  are  those  which  it  is  not  possible  for  the 
senses  to  perceive.  These  are  spiritual  truths. 
God,  who  is  pure  spirit,  no  man  hath  seen,  or 
can  see.  Man  is  like  God  in  that  he  is  a  spirit ; 
but  unlike  Him,  first  in  that  the  resemblance  is 
marred  by  sin;  and  secondly,  in  that  man  is  a 
spirit  joined  to  a  body  material.  By  the  consti- 
tution of  his  nature  he  exists  in  two  spheres; 
one  the  realm  of  spirit,  one  the  outer  world.  In 
him  the  two  spheres  meet:  spirit  embodied  in 
flesh.  Now  He  who  has  endowed  us  with  this 
duplex  nature  would  not  seek  our  exaltation  to 
original  uprightness,  without  reference  to  the 
nature  He  would  uplift.  In  His  Son,  our  Lord, 
He  has  brought  these  two  worlds  together,  so 
that  thc}^  touch  and  mingle,  each  retaining  its 
identity ;  and  yet  each  so  communicating  itself 
to  the  other  that  when  we  look  upon  one,  we 
see  the  other.  He  is  the  God-Man,  God  and 
Man,  Pure  Spirit  in  union  with  humanity. 

In  the  fulness  of  time,  when  the  union  of  these 
two  worlds  was  made  manifest — (the  spot  was 


206 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


at  Bethlehem),  this  Person  with  two  natures 
appeared.  It  was  a  great  mystery,  but  also  a 
precious  revelation.    It  furnished  fallen  man, 

"weary  of  earth  and  laden  with  (his)  sin," 

a  place  of  sanctuary.  It  procured  pardon  for  the 
penitent,  rest  to  the  heavy-laden,  hope  to  the 
disconsolate,  holiness  to  the  sinful.  His  life  on 
earth  was  one  long  divine  effort  to  win  prodigal 
men  to  the  Father  by  identifying  Himself  with 
their  sorrows,  and  by  sacrificing  Himself  for 
their  sins.  He  veiled  His  deity.  He  immolated 
His  humanity,  ^^He  dissolved,  as  it  were.  His 
greatness  to  reduce  it  to  the  figure  and  form  of 
our  littleness, that  He  might  draw  us  men 
back  to  God  through  Himself;  and  thus  it  was 
that  in  this  refuge  for  sinners  the  poet's  prophecy 
was  fulfilled — *^Thou  shalt  hide  them  in  the 
secret  of  Thy  presence  from  the  pride  of  man ; 
Thou  shalt  keep  them  secretly  in  a  pavilion  from 
the  strife  of  tongues. 

But  the  Gift  of  God  and  the  union  of  the  two 
worlds  in  Him  was  not  designed  to  be  a  tempo- 
rary outshining  of  the  Divine  glory  for  the  brief 
tenure  of  a  theanthropic  life  cut  off*  in  its  prime. 
The  grave,  which  seemed  to  swallow  Him  for- 
ever, could  not  retain  its  prey ;  nor  did  the  open- 


AT  THE  ALTAR. 


207 


ing  heavens,  which  seemed  to  claim  for  Him  an 
eternal  restoration  to  the  glory  He  had  put 
away  from  Him  for  our  sake,  hide  Him  from  our 
eyes.  He  who  descended  to  earth  without  quit- 
ting heaven,  ascended  to  heaven  without  quit- 
ting earth.  The  secret  of  His  presence  divinely 
veiled  in  the  depths  of  His  Humanity  was  a  per- 
petual gift,  reappearing  and  continued  in  the 
sacrament  which  His  dying  love  bequeathed  to 
be  our  hiding-place,  until  He  shall  come  again  in 
unveiled  and  visible  majesty.  The  outward 
signs  paint  their  image  on  the  eye: — behind 
them  is  the  Manifested  God.  O,  ye  Christian 
souls,  who  can  find  no  rest  in  service,  and  no 
balm  to  mollify  the  disquietude  that  makes  your 
life  miserable  because  the  divine  succor  and  joy 
and  strength  seem  so  far  away  and  so  unreal, 
why  will  ye  not  comprehend  the  love  which  has 
supplemented  the  secret  of  the  manger,  by  the 
secret  of  the  Supper  ?  Why  will  ye,  who  hunger 
for  heavenly  manna  and  thirst  for  living  waters, 
wander  in  the  darkness  of  unmanifested  divinity, 
stumbling  along  on  paths  which  your  eye  can- 
not discern,  making  journeys  on  which  God  has 
not  sent  you,  when  here,  in  the  earthly  home  of 
your  soul,  is  spread  the  divinest  of  banquets 
with  which  to  satisfy  your  hunger  and  thirst  ? 


208 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


But  it  is  to  the  secret  of  His  presence  that  we 
must  come !  Yes,  it  is  a  Divine  mystery.  If  it 
were  perfectly  comprehensible,  it  would  by  that 
token  be  traceable  to  human  authorship.  Divine 
truths  attest  their  origin  by  transcending  the 
power  of  the  creature  to  know  them  exhaust- 
ively. It  is  the  very  m3^stery  of  the  altar  which 
suggests  the  presence  of  Christ.  It  lifts  us  to- 
wards, but  not  to,  the  ineffable  heights.  The 
relation  which  exists  between  the  thoughts  of 
the  Infinite  Mind  and  a  created  intelligence  sug- 
gests the  relation  of  man  to  the  dumb  animal ; 
one  may  be  kind  to  the  animal  which  follows 
him  with  every  expression  of  gratitude  which 
his  eye  can  utter ;  but  one  still  retains  a  world 
of  thought  and  feeling  infinitely  beyond  its 
knowledge.  We  should  not  aspire  to  compre- 
hend the  unsearchable  counsels  of  the  Almighty 
beyond  the  line  of  revelation.  He  withholds 
even  His  revealed  glory  from  the  cold  micro- 
scopic stare  which  will  know  nothing  save 
what  it  sees.  There  are  truths  which  must  be 
approached  as  angelic  spirits  approach  God, 
with  veiled  faces,  and  which  altogether  elude 
the  gaze  of  irreverence.  When  our  Lord  was 
about  to  be  seized  of  the  Nazarenes  to  be  cast 
headlong  down  a  precipice, He,  passing  through 


AT  THE  ALTAR, 


209 


the  midst  of  them,  went  His  way/^  The  pen- 
alty of  a  frigid  handhng  of  Divine  things  is  that 
the  Divine  element  vanishes  from  the  sight,  and 
will  not  reveal  itself  to  eyes  all  too  willingly 
blind. 

Poor,  bereaved  world,  how  hast  thou  cheated 
thyself  of  the  presence  of  thy  Redeemer  by  stumb- 
ling at  the  secret  of  His  presence!  How  hast 
thou  given  thyself  over  to  weariness  without 
rest,  to  the  strife  of  tongues  and  the  pride  of 
man,  to  unconsoled  sorrow,  to  the  gnawing  dis- 
satisfaction of  a  life  over  which  God  is  permit- 
ted to  spread  no  pavilion  of  shadow  and  re- 
pose! Poor,  doubting  Christians,  stumbling  at 
one  sacramental  m^^stery  yet  accepting  others  ! 
How  have  ye  won  for  yourselves  the  toils  of  a 
stony  road  where  no  waters  be,  and  a  wilder- 
ness where  there  are  no  oases  of  fountains  and 
palms! 

To  find  God  wnthin  the  silence  of  eucharistic 
mystery,  the  power  to  see  be^^ond  the  veil  is 
necessary ;  and  how  earnestly  we  should  pray 
for  this  new  sight !  That  blind  man  nigh  unto 
Jericho  heard  them  say:  "Jesus  of  Nazareth 
passeth  by,'^  and  he  cried  for  mercy.  Then 
answered  our  Lord:  "What  wilt  thou  that  I 
shall  do  unto  thee?'^    "Lord,  that  I  may  re- 


210 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


ceive  my  sight/'  O,  that  such  might  be  our 
prayer — **Lord,  that  I  may  receive  my  sight/' 
and  see  Thee  in  the  solemn  mystery  of  Thine 
own  Feast!  It  is  recorded  by  S.  Mark  that 
after  His  resurrection,  our  Lord  appeared  in 
another  form  unto  two  of  them,  as  they  walked 
and  went  into  the  country,''  on  their  way  to 
Emmaus;  ''but  their  eyes  were  liolden  that 
they  should  not  know  Him,"  S.  Luke  tells  us. 
He  was  in  another  form,  and  yet  it  was  the 
same  Jesus— another  form,  therefore  they  could 
not  see  Him.  Their  eyes  were  holden,  because 
they  were  ''slow  of  heart  to  believe."  But  it 
was  in  the  breaking  of  bread  that  their  faith 
returned.  "He  took  bread,  and  blessed  it,  and 
brake,  and  gave  to  them."  "And  their  eyes 
were  opened,  and  they  knew  Him."  O,  that 
our  eyes  might  be  opened  to  see  that,  although 
the  Bread  be  another  form,  and  the  Wine 
another  form,  none  the  less  is  it  the  Sacrament 
of  His  Body  and  His  Blood! 

Moreover,  let  us  consider  that  He  whom  we 
seek  in  this  sacrament,  is  seeking  us.  It  is  our 
duty  to  make  worthy  preparation;  but  we 
should  not  think  of  the  priest  and  ourselves  as 
the  only  active  parties  in  this  solemn  transac- 
tion.   That  is  but  a  small  fraction  of  the  truth ; 


AT  THE  ALTAR, 


211 


and,  indeed,  if  that  were  all,  it  were  a  small 
truth.  But  the  living  Christ  loves  to  come  to 
US ;  for  His  delights  are  with  the  sons  of  men.'^ 
More  intensely  does  He  desire  to  bless  than  we 
to  be  blessed.  All  the  attributes  of  His  nature 
are  on  fire  with  eager  desire  that  we  may  be 
transformed  into  His  image,  by  participation  in 
His  Divine  Humanity.  If  it  is  the  highest 
honor  of  our  lives  that  the  Lord  comes  to  be 
our  meat  and  drink,  the  highest  honor  we  can 
return  Him  is  to  eat  of  that  bread  and  drink  of 
that  cup;  that  in  us  He  may  see  of  the  travail 
of  His  soul,  and  be  satisfied.  In  the  secret  of 
His  Presence  hides  the  heart  that  loves  us,  the 
hand  that  saves  us,  the  friendship  that  fails  us 
not,  the  wisdom  that  guides  us,  the  guardian 
that  keeps  us.  As  earnest  is  His  desire  to  come 
to  the  memorial  of  His  Passion,  as  was  His 
desire  for  the  baptism  of  blood,  of  which  He 
said:  *^How  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accom- 
plished ! 

And,  wherefore  this  consuming  zeal  of  Jesus 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  ?  He  has  one  crown- 
ing motive — the  soul  which  seeks  union  with 
God  shall  not  seek  in  vain ;  for  He  represents 
the  desire  of  God  for  union  with  man,  and  is  the 
means  whereby  that  union  is  effected.  When 


212 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


ardent  lovers  of  things  unseen  prefer  God  above 
all  created  objects,  and  seek  Him  before  they 
seek  to  serve  Him,  and  habituate  their  wills  to 
this  choice  by  continuous  self-abandonment  to 
the  order  of  His  providence,  and  to  the  influence 
of  His  grace,  nothing  is  more  precious  to  them 
than  His  own  sacrament  of  union,  in  which 
they  who  feed  upon  Him  grow  up  into  His  like- 
ness. We  are  in  Him,  and  He  in  us.  His  life 
and  ours  is  a  community  life  —  we  have  all 
things  common.  When  the  forces  that  flow 
from  Him  eater  us,  the  elements  of  character 
that  are  unworthy  begin  to  weaken,  and  will 
finally  become  extinct,  for  whole  Christ  is  made 
over  to  and  formed  within  us,  the  *'one  thing 
needful,'^  the  antidote  for  sin,  the  hope  of  glory. 
This  union  is  that  of  the  branch  and  the  vine — 
the  branch  is  in  the  vine  by  union  with  it ;  the 
vine  is  in  the  branch  by  imparting  its  life  to  it. 
What  munificent  provision  is  thus  made  for  our 
growth!  The  sacrament  is  as  full  of  what  we 
need  to  make  us  such  disciples  as  Mary  was,  as 
the  ocean  is  of  water.  It  was  ordained  to  con- 
vey the  richest  blessings  heaven  can  bestow. 
It  is  the  garment  with  which  Jesus  vests  His 
sacred  form  ;  and  humble  souls,  when  their  faith 
touches  it,  find  virtue  come  forth  from  Him.  If 


AT  THE  ALTAR. 


213 


we  honor  It  we  honor  Him  ;  if  we  depreciate  It 
or  neglect  It,  we  reproach  Him.  It  will  bless  us 
according  as  our  hearts  are  open  to  It;  for 
while  we  can  do  nothing  without  Him,  He  will 
do  nothing  without  us.  There  was  no  want  of 
water  in  Jacob's  well  at  Sychar ;  but  the  woman 
of  Samaria  could  carry  away  only  as  much  as 
her  water-pot  would  contain.  The  more  we 
seek,  the  more  we  find.  The  more  we  make  of 
Him,  the  more  we  are  made  like  unto  Him. 

But  let  us  remember  what  the  Apostle  said 
of  those  who  did  not  discern  the  Lord's  Body  : 
*^For  this  cause  many  are  weak  and  sickly 
among  you,  and  many  sleep.'' 


CHAPTER  XX. 


Imperfect  Ways  of  Prayer— The  Life  of  Prayer— Its 
Supreme  Motive,  Love  for  God. 

^^j^HE  term  prayer  in  its  signification  is  mar- 
vellously broad  and  inclusive.  A  man  of 
prayer  is  one  who  has  obeyed  the  injunction: 
My  son,  give  Me  thine  heart. He  who  prays 
aright  practically  obeys  the  whole  law;  and 
fulfils  the  two  commandments,  on  w^hich  hang 
all  the  law  and  the  prophets.  He  who  does  not 
pray  is  Christian  only  in  name.  He  who  does 
not  pray  much  is  not  much  of  a  Christian. 

There  are  many  imperfect  phases  and  degrees 
of  prayer,  the  consideration  of  which  help 
to  a  conception  of  the  true  prayer. 

1 .  There  are  some  who  pray  vocally,  that  is, 
they  say  their  prayers.  They  have  set  forms 
either  printed  in  books,  or  written  down  in  their 


PRAYER. 


215 


memories,  or  carried  at  their  tongues'  end  ;  and 
they  go  through  these  in  the  morning,  or  in  the 
evening,  or  in  both.  But  often  there  is  Httle 
activity  of  the  mind,  and  little  spiritual  energy 
put  forth.  When  in  church,  they  follow  the 
prayers  and  say  the  responses  and  amens,  but 
without  much  reflection.  It  is  not  well  to  pass 
harsh  judgment  on  such  prayers.  They  do  not 
stand  for  much  earnestness ;  but  the  worst  of  it 
is  that  they  are  not  very  productive.  No  doubt 
souls  have  been  kept  back  from  grave  sin  by 
them,  and  restrained  within  the  limits  of  respect- 
able behavior;  but  such  prayers  do  not  con- 
tribute to  growth  and  progress. 

Persons  who  rest  in  the  saying  of  their 
prayers  are  apt  to  think  there  is  great  virtue  in 
many  prayers  said  and  much  time  consumed. 
But  our  Lord  condemned  those  who  think  they 
shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking,"  and 
immediately  commanded,  After  this  manner, 
pray  ye:  Our  Father, etc.  The  value  of 
prayer  refers  us  to  quality  rather  than  quantit\^ 
Importunity  has  the  right  of  besieging  the 
throne ;  but  in  our  ordinary'-  habits  of  devotion 
let  us  remember  that  simplicity  and  reality  will 
put  much  prevailing  pra^^er  into  few  words. 
Better  three  minutes  of  prayer  than  thirt^^  of 


216 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


recitation.  Let  us  remember,  also,  that  there 
is  in  reservation,  for  those  who  persevere,  a 
prayer  without  words.  The  habit  of  verbal 
address  merges  in  a  state  of  quiet,  in  which  the 
soul  reposes  upon  God  with  simple  trust  and 
unsyllabled  love,  and  for  a  time  loses  itself  in 
Him.  This  prayer  is  the  oblivion  of  self  and  all 
created  things ;  and  comes,  after  a  long  time,  to 
those  who  have  sought  to  make  God  their  All  in 
all.  But  it  does  not  come  at  our  bidding.  It  is 
one  of  the  forms  of  special  blessing  which  He 
bestows  on  those  who  have  attained  the  humil- 
ity of  nothingness  before  Him.  But  it  does  not 
supercede  vocal  prayer. 

We  must  not  fall  into  the  serious  error  of 
depreciating  vocal  prayer.  Its  necessity  lies  in 
the  very  constitution  of  our  nature,  and  rests 
on  the  same  rational  basis  as  the  sacramental 
principle  does.  We  have  a  spiritual  part  and  a 
corporeal  part ;  and  the  perfect  performance  of 
duty  involves  the  co-operation  of  these.  As 
well  refuse  the  sacraments  as  neglect  vocal 
prayer.  The  whole  tenor  of  the  Scripture,  as 
well  as  the  precept  and  example  of  God  Incar- 
nate, and  the  unfailing  practice  of  the  Church, 
and  the  exhortations  of  the  holiest  saints, 
demand  that  we  shall  *Svith  one  mind  and 


PRAYER. 


217 


with  one  mouth,  glorify  God.''  And  vocal 
prayer  justifies  itself  by  the  results  which  attend 
its  proper  spiritual  use  as  a  habitual  means  of 
communion  with  God.  Perhaps  the  higher 
attainments  in  the  ways  of  prayer,  to  which 
reference  has  been  made,  would  be  impracticable 
without  long  antecedent  practice  of  vocal 
prayer.  Let  us  beware  of  violating  proportion. 
It  would  be  a  sin  to  neglect  the  prayer  of  words  ; 
but  it  would  be  another  sin  to  rest  in  it  as  the 
whole  duty  and  privilege  of  the  soul  which  loves 
God. 

2.  There  are  others  who  pray  earnestly  only 
when  they  are  under  the  spur  of  an  emergency. 
Some  spiritual  need  comes  to  the  front,  as  when 
temptation  has  made  a  successful  assault  on  the 
will ;  or  sickness  lays  siege  at  the  citadel  of  life ; 
or  earthly  friends  prove  false;  or  the  besetting 
sin  has  brought  disgrace.  The  spiritual  nature 
awakes,  and  the  fire  of  devotion  blazes  up  for  a 
little  moment;  but  these  ''for  a  while"  Chris- 
tians easily  relapse  to  their  ordinar^^  condition 
when  the  emergency  has  passed. 

8.  Others  pray  vigorously  only  when  they 
want  certain  temporal  blessings.  They  were 
content  with  the  treadmill  of  formal  prayer  as 
long  as  things  went  well  with  them ;  but  now 


218 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


there  is  a  question  about  getting  what  their 
worldly  hearts  covet ;  or  there  is  some  danger- 
ous exposure  before  them  ;  and  they  humbly  fall 
upon  their  knees  to  beseech  God  that  He  will 
grant  them  their  desire.  Perhaps  we  must 
classify  with  them  those  who  ask  the  Church's 
prayers  when  they  are  going  to  sea,  and  forget 
to  offer  thanksgiving  '^for  a  safe  return. Per- 
haps, also,  this  may  in  part  account  for  the  dis- 
use of  the  Churching  office  after  the  great  pain 
and  peril  of  child-birth/' 

4.  There  is  another  phase  of  prayer  which  is 
very  imperfect.  Are  we  not  apt  to  pray  for 
spiritual  blessings  only  as  we  ourselves  stand  in 
need?  There  are  unfathomed  depths  of  self-love 
in  the  heart,  even  when  that  heart  has  strongly 
turned  toward  God.  Self-love  always  comes  to 
the  surface  when  we  try  to  be  unselfish,  and  to 
remember  tenderly  the  interests  of  others.  We 
offer  our  prayers  to  One  who  loves  the  world,  to 
One  who  has  taught  us  to  say,  ^^Our  Father," 
to  One  who  spreads  the  covert  of  His  wings  over 
the  whole  body  of  Christ ;  and  we  ask  only  for 
our  personal  needs  (we  who  profess  our  faith  in 
^'  the  communion  of  Saints  !  "  )  and  we  rise  above 
the  plane  of  prayerlessness  only  far  enough  to 
plead  our  own  interests  at  the  throne.  There 


FRAYEK. 


219 


must  be  a  large  development  before  our  desires 

expand  so  as  to  include  the  wide  world's  need, 

and  the  far-reaching  redemptive  purposes  of 

God.    O,  that  we  might  realize  the  wonderful- 

ness  of  that  petition  in  the  Litany  : 

That  it  may  please  Thee  to  bless  and  keep  all  Th^^  people ; 
We  beseech  Thee  to  hear  us,  good  Lord. 

And  this  : 

That  it  may  please  Thee  to  have  mercy  upon  all  men ; 
We  beseech  Thee  to  hear  us,  good  Lord. 

These  varied  imperfections  in  prayer  are  trace- 
able to  a  common  source.  All  are  the  prayers  of 
those  who  come  short  of  making  God  the  pri- 
mary object  of  their  affection.  They  are  prayers 
tinctured  with  self-love.  It  is  not  given  us  to 
know,  and  we  should  therefore  shun  to  suspect, 
how  many  of  these  prayers  are  heard;  that  is, 
how  many  are  prayers.  All  prayer  reaches 
heaven's  ear;  but  can  self-love  make  itself 
heard?  All  that  we  can  say  is,  that  our  Lord 
paraphrased  the  Summary  of  the  Law  (''Hear, 
also,  what  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  saith,"  etc.), 
w^hen  He  said:  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  His  righteousness;  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added  unto  3^ou." 

5.  Prayer  must  necessaril3^  be  vitiated  b\'  a 
wrong  relation  of  the  soul  to  the  holy  will  of 


220 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


God.  It  would  be  well  to  consider  why  we  have 
asked  and  received  not ;  and  why  we  have  pos- 
sibly been  embittered  against  God,  as  though 
we  had  been  mocked  and  cruelly  entreated. 
How  much  need  there  is  that  we  should  under- 
stand what  prayer  is,  and  what  are  the  terms 
and  conditions  of  eifectual  approach  to  the 
throne  whence  all  blessings  are  dispensed! 
How  much  more  just  we  would  be,  did  our 
rebellious  attitude  face  our  own  defects,  rather 
than  God's  faithfulness  to  His  promises!  It  is 
blasphemous  to  assert  that  He  can  fail.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  says  that 
*^  he  that  turneth  away  his  ear  from  hearing  the 
law,  even  his  prayer  shall  be  abomination.^' 
Ye  ask,  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss," 
said  S.  James. 

Christian  people  who  have  had  a  great  sor- 
row, some  disaster  or  bereavement,  sometimes 
seem  ready  to  curse  God  and  die,"  because  He 
has  not  heard  their  pra^^ers  for  deliverance  from 
impending  evil .  Now  God  is  very  tender  towards 
such  impiety ;  for  He  sees  that  mixed  with  it  is 
much  turbulence  of  that  natural  grief  which 
never  reasons,  and  seldom  falls  upon  its  knees. 
But  no  one  knows  so  well  as  He  that  the  pres- 
ent outcry  against  Himself,  as  though  He  were 


PRAYER, 


221 


a  vengeful  Jupiter  delighting  Himself  in  thunder- 
bolts, would  not  exist  had  the  heart  been  pre- 
viously trained  to  make  Him  its  All  in  all;  and 
to  prefer  Him  to  all  earthly  objects  of  affection ; 
and  to  love  Him,  not  by  loving  them  less,  but 
by  loving  Him  more;  and  to  see  how  all  prayers 
of  petition  are  our  blindness  asking  God  to  do 
what  is  best  in  His  estimate  of  expediency  ;  and 
to  rise  to  the  height  of  singing  the  song  of  Jesus 
in  Gethsemane:  Nevertheless,  not  My  will, 
but  Thine  be  done/' 

The  imperfection  of  our  prayers,  w^hether 
arising  from  error,  or  from  ignorance  of  the 
nature  and  conditions  of  the  prayer,  or  from 
the  tremendous  spiritual  indignity  of  loving 
some  gift  or  blessing  of  God  or  one's  self  more 
than  God,  indicates  the  need  of  instruction. 
The  very  first  petition  an  awakened  disciple 
should  offer  is :  Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray  !  " 
He  will  teach  those  who  seek  practical  guidance 
how  to  enlarge  the  scope,  elevate  the  character, 
and  intensify  the  reality  of  our  devotional  life. 

But  above  all  He  would  have  them  grasp  the 
sublime  truth  that  prayer  covers  a  vastly  wider 
ground  than  the  daily  repetition  of  Collects,  or 
the  use  of  the  devotional  offices  of  the  Church, 
in  public  and  in  private ;  that  it  is  far  more  than 


222 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


asking  for  things  ;  that  it  is  more  than  a  duty  ; 
that  while  a  duty  it  is  the  highest  known  privi- 
lege, opportunity,  and  happiness.  It  is  medita- 
tion, adoration,  petition,  intercession,  thanks- 
giving, penitence,  humility,  but  more  than  all 
these.  Prayer  is  that  operation  of  a  man^s 
spirit  by  which  he  places  himself  in  the  presence 
of  God ;  humbles  himself  to  the  dust  before  His 
Majesty  ;  makes  himself  over  into  God's  hands  ; 
abandons  himself  just  as  he  is  to  the  custody  of 
God,  to  be  shaped  and  made  over  by  Him ;  sur- 
renders his  will  to  be  w^hoUy  dominated  by  the 
will  of  God ;  renounces  the  authority  of  self,  and 
gladly  puts  on  the  3^oke  of  Christ;  opens  his 
soul  wide  to  the  inflow  of  grace;  concentrates 
his  entire  being  upon  the  end  for  which  he  was 
created,  and  devotes  himself  so  entirely  to  God 
that  he  can  honestly  say:  ''Whom  have  I  in 
the  heavens  but  Thee?  and  there  is  none  upon 
earth  that  I  desire  in  comparison  of  Thee ! 

Thus  it  becomes  apparent  that  prayer  is  a 
life.  It  is  the  response  of  the  soul  to  God,  not 
as  an  isolated  occasional  act ;  not  as  a  routine 
habit  at  intervals,  but  as  the  very  breath  and 
being  of  the  soul ;  and  so  habitual  that  it  may 
be  said  of  one  who  thus  prays,  that  he  prays 
without  ceasing;  though  not  in  the  sense  of 


PRAYER. 


223 


unbrokenness  of  petition,  or  of  uninterrupted 
concentration  of  the  mind  upon  God.  He  does 
not  require  us  to  transcend  the  possibilities  of 
the  nature  with  which  He  has  endowed  us ;  nor 
to  drop  out  of  our  vocations,  our  business,  our 
cares,  our  w^orries,  our  relative  duties.  Neither 
does  He  require  us  to  be  always  thinking  of 
Him  to  the  neglect  of  others.  He  is  well  pleased 
when  w^e  give  ourselves  to  present  duty,  for 
duty  is  due  to  Him  as  well  as  to  others,  and 
thus  duty  becomes  prayer,  when  it  is  done  in 
Him.  Imitate  the  little  birds:  they  light  on 
earth  only  when  they  drink,  but  even  then  they 
lift  up  their  little  heads  heavenward  at  every 
sip'^  (S.  Francis  de  Sales).  Thus  we  see  how 
the  life  of  prayer  must  be  continuous,  for  it  is 
nothing  less  than  that  state  of  strong  adhesion 
to  God,  w^hich  binds  souls  forever  to  Him  so 
strongly  that  they  would  rather  die  than  offend 
Him,  or  lose  their  hold  upon  Him.  The  life  of 
prayer  is,  simply,  the  life  of  self-abandonment 
to  God.  One  of  the  most  astonishing  revela- 
tions of  the  nature  of  God  is  His  love  for  prayer 
and  His  intense  desire  for  it.  *^The  prayer  of 
the  upright  is  His  delight.'^  When  we  consider 
His  infinite  self-suflftciency,  and  that  He  was 
plenarily  happy  in  Himself  before  any  creature 


224 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


was  brought  forth,  we  wonder  how  our  poor 
prayers  can  minister  to  His  feUcity.  They  are 
notnecessary  to  Him,  and  yet,  while  He  bestows 
ten  thousand  blessings  upon  us  without  our 
asking,  He  puts  restraint  upon  His  desire  to 
bless  us  yet  more,  by  withholding  other  gifts 
until  we  ask,  so  intensely  does  He  yearn  for  our 
prayers  !  And  why  ?  Because  prayer,  as  a  life, 
is  the  highest  level  of  created  spiritual  existence, 
and  is  the  victory  of  God  in  the  soul.  He  has 
won  another  throne!  Another  life  is  shaping 
itself  to  the  great  end  for  which  it  was  created. 

But  He  exhibits  this  astonishing  predilection 
for  the  life  of  prayer  because  of  the  motive  upon 
which  it  rests.  This  is  not  the  sense  of  duty^ 
nor  the  stimulus  of  self-interest ;  not  the  force  of 
habit  or  religious  fashion,  nor  the  fear  of  pun- 
ishment for  neglect.  Its  highest  motive  is  love 
for  God.  Those  who  rise  to  the  full  opportuni- 
ties of  the  Christian  life  do  so  on  the  pinions  of 
love.  They  see  in  God  such  beauty,  such  spiritual 
attractiveness,  such  winning  power,  such  depths 
of  sympathy,  such  hunger  to  help,  that  the  soul 
is  irresistibly  drawn  to  Him;  and,  like  a  little 
trusting  bird,  hides  itself  in  the  covert  of  His 
wings.  The  highest  homage  we  can  offer  is  to 
love  Him  for  His  own  sake ;  and  this  is  the  love 


PRAYER, 


225 


He  mostlovesto  bless.  There  is  a  vast  power  of 
sanctification  awaiting  him  who  habitually  con- 
templates the  glories  of  the  Divine  nature.  He 
who  learns  to  love  Him,  learns  to  love  like  Him. 
The  splendors  of  His  nature  pour  themselves 
into  the  heart  in  such  floods  that  it  is  gradually 
transformed  into  His  image.  The  more  men 
see  of  His  beauty,  the  more  they  thirst  for  holi- 
ness. The  incomprehensible  wealth  of  His  na- 
ture in  every  quality  that  is  high,  pure,  noble, 
strong,  wise,  loving,  draws  them  with  an  irre- 
sistible force  of  spiritual  magnetism  towards 
these  qualities,  so  that  they  are  thereby  weaned 
from  the  petty  attractions  of  the  w^orld,  while 
these  qualities  begin  to  be  reproduced  in  them. 

This  life  of  prayer,  built  up  upon  love,  is  for 
all ;  although  there  are  few  who  realize  it,  and 
many  who  think  that  it  is  not  for  them.  They 
do  not  beHeve  it  possible  that  they  could  learn 
to  love  God  with  such  a  strong  affection.  They 
honor  Him;  own  His  authority;  respect  His 
laws ;  do  service  in  His  Church,  and  seek  to  win 
others  to  His  kingdom  ;  but  the3^  cannot  affirm 
that  they  love  Him  ;  at  least  they  do  not  identify 
in  their  hearts  an  attachment  so  strong  that  it 
can  justly  be  called  by  the  name  of  love.  That 
such  persons  are  scarcely  fair  to  themselves  is 


226 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


evident;  for  love  is  a  many-sided  gem.  They 
are  certainly  impressed  with  God^s  goodness, 
and  thankful  for  His  kind  providences.  This  is 
the  love  of  gratitude.  They  obey  His  com- 
mandments, and  would  be  utterly  unhappy  if 
they  should  wilfully  break  one  of  them.  This  is 
the  love  of  obedience.  They  perceive  His  glory 
in  the  heavens,  and  the  amazing  power  of  the 
Creator  everywhere.  This  is  the  love  of  admira- 
tion. They  revere  His  attributes,  and  adore 
Him.  This  is  the  love  of  reverence.  But  after 
all  this,  it  is  true  that  many  stop  short  of  loving 
God  for  what  He  is  in  Himself  (without  refer- 
ence to  what  He  does  for  us,  or  for  universal 
creation);  which  is  the  highest  tribute  of  love 
which  the  human  heart  can  pay  to  Him.  There 
is  an  attracting  power  in  the  spiritual  perfec- 
tions of  God,  which  only  those  can  know  who 
seek  to  know,  at  any  cost ;  and  there  have  been 
men  who,  by  seeking,  have  found  such  revela- 
tions of  love  that  they  were  fascinated  away 
from  all  earthly  delights,  and  fixed  their  hearts 
on  Him  with  supreme  joy.  There  seems  to  be  a 
principle  of  reserve  observed  by  this  wonderful 
Being,  by  which  He  holds  back,  as  behind  a  veil, 
the  brightest  revealings  of  His  nature,  until 
earnest  souls  surmount  every  obstacle,  sacrifice 


PRAYER. 


227 


every  inferior  claim,  and  press  upward  to  cast 
themselves,  at  last,  at  His  feet,  and  adore  the 
awful,  but  attractive  splendors,  of  an  infinite 
love. 

But  this  is  a  commanded  duty  incumbent 
upon  all.  Is  not  this  the  first  and  great  com- 
mandment? Shall  we  be  content  to  love  God 
for  His  gifts  only  ?  Shall  we  love  Him  only 
because  it  is  our  duty  ?  Shall  we  love  Him  only 
because  not  to  love  Him  is  to  lose  Him  ?  No ! 
we  must  learn  to  love  Him,  because  in  Himself 
He  is  worthy  of  our  love,  and  of  more  love  than 
we  can  ever  render  Him.  No  man  can  gaze  long 
at  God  in  prayer  without  becoming  over- 
whelmed with  the  essential  splendor,  and 
beauty,  and  attractiveness,  with  which  His 
Majesty  is  clothed  ;  and  when  this  revelation 
sinks  deep  into  our  nature,  we  are  henceforth 
changed  men.  A  new  light  gilds  the  world. 
The  sacraments  and  practices  of  religion  are 
transfigured;  nothing  remains  as  it  was.  O,  is 
it  not  strange  that  we,  who  love  ourselves  so 
much,  and  love  human  imperfection  in  our  best 
beloved  so  much,  should  draw  back  from  sur- 
rendering our  hearts  to  Him  w^ho  challenges  us 
to  love  Himself  supremely?  ^^He  that  loveth 
father  or  mother,  son  or  daughter,  more  than 


228 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


Me,  is  not  worthy  of  Me."  Why?  Because 
there  never  has  been,  or  shall  be,  a  human  being 
whose  father  or  mother,  son  or  daughter,  could 
justly  claim  the  affection  which  is  His  right  and 
due.  Upon  every  ground,  whether  of  gratitude, 
consanguinity,  natural  affection,  self-interest,  or 
congruity,  He  is  entitled  to  the  first  place  in  our 
hearts^  true  love. 

O  God,  knit  the  unclean,  fragile,  earthly 
threads  of  our  love  into  the  cloth  of  gold  of 
Thy  perfect  love !  Thus  shall  the  life  of  prayer 
become  ours. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


flDental  ptaiger* 

The  Prayer  of  Meditation  a  Lost  Art — Its  Nature 
AND  Necessity. 

RAYER,  as  has  been  said,  is  a  generic  term, 
including  every  relation  which  may  exist 
between  the  faithful  soul  and  God,  as  well  as 
the  means  by  which  such  relation  is  maintained. 
It  must  suffice  at  present  that  prayer  be  con- 
sidered under  but  one  of  its  aspects ;  one,  how- 
ever, the  importance  of  which  is  incapable  of 
being  exaggerated ;  first,  because  it  has  fallen 
into  disuse  to  such  an  extent  that  multitudes 
know  it  not  at  all;  second,  because  the  highest 
spiritual  benefits  have  resulted  from  its  revived 
use;  and,  third,  because  its  persistent  use  edu- 
cates the  soul  for  other  and  higher  degrees  of 
prayer.  To  these,  however,  no  reference  will  be 
made  here. 


230 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


The  form  of  prayer  which  we  are  to  consider, 
is  the  Prayer  of  Meditation. 
1.    Its  nature. 

By  the  prayer  of  meditation  is  meant  the 
action  of  the  mental  faculties,  in  the  presence  of 
God,  by  careful  thought  and  reflection,  upon 
subjects  which  relate  to  God  and  the  soul.  It  is 
generally  called  mental  prayer,  to  distinguish  it 
from  the  prayer  of  petition,  or  the  asking  for 
things  agreeable  to  the  will  of  God.  The  prayer 
of  meditation  always  leads  to  the  prayer  of 
petition,  because  by  its  exercise  we  learn  dis- 
tinctly, and  feel  deeply,  our  necessities.  And 
not  only  so,  but  in  meditation  we  are  taught 
such  lessons  concerning  God  that  we  are  sweetly 
moved  to  give  Him  all  our  confidence,  and  to 
throw  ourselves  upon  His  bosom  with  loving 
expression  of  our  inmost  desires. 

The  prayer  of  meditation  begins  with  simple 
meditation,  or  the  action  of  the  mental  faculties, 
by  which  we  scrutinize,  analyze,  and  draw  con- 
clusions from  any  given  subject.  But  it  is  not  a 
cold,  unimpassioned  outlay  of  mental  acumen, 
which,  however  sacred  may  be  the  theme  under 
consideration,  can  produce  only  intellectual 
results.  It  is  desirable  to  increase  our  knowl- 
edge of  things  Divine,  but  with  a  nobler  aim 


MENTAL  PRAYER, 


231 


than  the  increase  of  knowledge.  Spiritual  fruit- 
age should  be  the  end  in  view.  Meditation  is 
the  discursive  process  b}'-  which  the  mind  sup- 
plies the  spirit  with  fuel  for  devotion. 

Meditation  is  the  action  of  the  mind  upon 
subjects  of  thought;  but  the  prayer  of  medita- 
tion is  the  action  of  the  spirit  upon  considera- 
tions, which  have  been  drawn  out  by  the  action 
of  the  mental  faculties.  As  prayer,  therefore,  it 
is  simply  the  converse  and  communion  of  the 
soul  with  God  on  the  basis  of  an  intelligent 
appreciation  of  truths.  As  a  hol^^  writer  has 
said:  ^'Mental  prayer  is  nothing  else  than  a 
friendly  conversation  with  God,  by  whom  we 
know  that  we  are  most  tenderly  loved. 

The  purpose  of  the  prayer  of  meditation  indi- 
cates the  nature  of  it.  To  w^hat  end  does  God 
inspire  this  prayer?  With  what  intention  do 
we  offer  it  ?  That  the  sacramental  union  of  our 
spirits  with  Him  may  be  strengthened  by  spirit- 
ually applied  knowledge;  that  we  may  grow  in 
reverent  intimacy  with  Him ;  that  we  may 
acquire  a  wisdom  not  taught  in  the  schools  of 
human  learning,  and  a  strength  which  shall 
qualify  us  to  quit  ourselves  like  men  on  the  bat- 
tlefields of  the  soul ;  and  that  we  may  go  on  to 
those  loftier  attainments  in  which  the  soul  is 


232  THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


made  one  with  Him,  the  will  is  swallowed  in 
His,  and  the  grace  of  the  sanctified  spirit  already 
begins  to  reflect  the  brightness  of  that  glory 
into  which  it  hopes  to  be  finally  merged. 

Meditation  must  be  prosecuted  with  vigor 
and  animation;  for  we  much  need  material  with 
which  to  construct  our  prayer.  We  have  small 
resources  in  ourselves,  intellectually;  and  when 
they  are  exhausted,  spiritual  barrenness  and 
apathy  follow.  Many  people  are  weak  in 
prayer,  because  they  are  intellectually  slothful. 
Their  great  need  is  stimulation  to  devout 
thought,  over  and  above  the  passive  reception 
of  the  customary  sermon,  in  hearing  which 
there  is  ordinarily  as  little  mental  activit^^  as 
physical.  It  costs  little  to  listen  ;  it  costs  much 
to  think,  to  seek  knowledge  that  may  be  trans- 
formed into  prayer,  and  made  to  bind  in  closer 
intimacy  the  spirit  of  man  with  his  God. 

There  is  no  sequence  of  natural  law  more 
inevitable  than  that  spiritual  growth  will  fol- 
low, if  we  accustom  ourselves  to  turn  aside  into 
a  solitary  place,  and,  for  the  soul's  sake,  seek 
knowledge  with  all  our  manhood's  might. 

The  Rev.  F.  W.  Robertson  has  given  us  an 
illustration  in  natural  life  which  is  very  apposite. 
He  says  :    ''It  was  in  this  way  that  one  of  the 


4 


MENTAL  PRAYER.  233 


greatest  of  English  engineers,  a  man  uncouth, 
and  unaccustomed  to  regular  discipline  of  mind, 
is  said  to  have  accomplished  his  most  remark- 
able triumphs.  He  threw  bridges  over  almost 
impracticable  torrents,  and  pierced  the  eternal 
mountains  for  his  viaducts.  Sometimes  the 
difficulty  brought  all  the  work  to  a  pause;  then 
he  would  shut  himself  up  in  his  room,  eat  noth- 
ing, speak  to  no  one,  abandon  himself  intensely 
to  the  contemplation  of  that  on  which  his  heart 
was  set;  and,  at  the  end  of  two  or  three  days, 
would  come  forth  serene  and  calm,  walk  to  the 
spot,  and  quietly  give  orders  which  seemed  the 
result  of  superhuman  intuition.  This  was  med- 
itation.'^ When  we  work  for  results  as  heroic- 
ally as  this,  and  then  take  them  to  God  in 
prayer,  we  shall  discover  new  lessons  in  the 
sweetness  and  the  power  of  converse  with  Him. 

Now  they  do  it  to  obtain  a  corruptible  crown ; 
but  we  an  incorruptible." 

A  Quiet  Day''  is  an  object-lesson  in  mental 
prayer.  We  come  together  for  pra3^er;  but  the 
first  duty  of  the  conductor  is  the  choice  of  sub- 
jects, and  the  expenditure  of  thought  upon 
them.  The  considerations  which  are  offered 
intensify  truth,  burnish  tarnished  consciences, 
stir  up  affections,  revive  \\o\y  memories,  make 


234 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


God  more  real  and  near,  and  so  environ  the  soul 
with  sacred  influences,  that  we  are  stimulated 
to  seek  God  with  freshness  and  avidity. 

Another  illustration  is  presented  in  the  para- 
ble of  the  Prodigal  Son.  He  was  sent  into  the 
fields  to  feed  swine.  He  was  hungry,  and  would 
have  eaten  the  husks  that  the  swine  did  eat, 
and  no  man  gave  unto  him.  And  then  he  began 
to  think.  Long  and  serious  did  he  consider  his 
forlorn  condition.  Then  his  heart  was  touched. 
And  when  he  came  to  himself  (stirred  to  the 
depths  of  his  soul  by  his  reflections),  he  said: 
^^How  many  hired  servants  of  my  father  have 
bread  enough  and  to  spare,  and  I  perish  with 
hunger!^'  The  thought  of  the  old  father  at 
home  kindles  the  deepest  emotion  within  him, 
and  he  exclaims:  ^'I  will  arise  and  go  to  my 
father! His  will  was  aroused,  and  he  arose 
and  went  to  his  father  —  the  last,  but  most 
effective,  step  of  all.  He  did  what  his  mind  and 
his  heart  prompted  him  to  do. 

The  prayer  of  meditation  will  have  little  fruit 
unless  it  is  regular  and  habitual.  Indeed,  it 
must  be  made  the  habit  of  the  soul  by  constant 
repetition,  before  it  can  accomplish  great  things 
for  us.  No  day  should  pass  without  a  strong 
grasp  of  some  truth,  or  fragment  of  truth,  by 


MENTAL  PRAYER. 


235 


the  help  of  which  we  may  pour  out  all  the  ful- 
ness of  our  hearts  before  God. 

And,  as  it  is  prayer,  it  must  be  offered  in  His 
Presence.  We  know  that  God  is,  and  that  He 
is  omnipresent.  Therefore,  He  is  here.  We 
know  that  He  loves  to  enter  into  communion 
with  His  children.  We  believe  His  promise, 
that  if  we  seek  Him  we  shall  find.  We  believe 
that  we  are  in  Him,  as  a  fish  is  in  the  ocean; 
that  in  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our 
being.  We  believe,  also,  that  He  is  in  us,  as  a 
Divine  Indweller.  Our  nature  has  been  com- 
pared to  a  temple  with  three  apartments :  the 
outer  chamber  of  the  senses,  the  inner  court  of 
the  'mind,  and  then,  in  the  inmost  seclusion  of 
the  temple,  a  Holy  of  Holies,  which  is  the  spirit 
— that  part  of  us  which  is  nearest  to  God, 
through  whose  humble  portal  He  condescends 
to  enter,  and  take  up  His  abode  within  us.  In 
the  silence  of  that  holy  place  is  the  Presence  of 
God.  There  He  waits  to  hear  our  prayer.  It 
is  as  if  when  with  another  person,  if  the  light 
be  extinguished  and  all  be  quiet,  without 
seeing  or  hearing  him,  or  being  aware  of  any 
bodily  movement,  w^e  converse  with  him  as 
present." 

2.    Its  necessity. 


236 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


Its  necessit3^  appears  when  we  reflect  that 
man  is  a  reasoning  creature.  His  mind  acts 
upon  the  material  presented  to  it,  and,  as  the 
result  of  consideration,  arrives  at  a  distinct 
and  intelligible  notion.  Ordinarily,  no  one  acts 
without  reason  for  action,  however  crude  and 
unjustifying  the  reason,  and  however  wrong 
the  act  may  be.  The  processes  of  discursive 
reasoning  exist  in  all,  however  low  the  grade  of 
intellectual  development  may  be. 

Education  is  the  drawing  out  of  the  mental 
faculties  in  order  to  the  acquisition  of  knowl- 
edge. It  is  a  training  and  development.  But  it 
goes  farther;  for  it  teaches  how  to  use  or  apply 
the  knowledge  acquired,  in  a  reasonable  man- 
ner, and  with  reference  to  its  objective  end,  or 
aim.  It  is,  however,  only  a  preparation ;  of  the 
highest  necessity,  but  wholly  nugatory  as  to 
practical  result,  until  it  is  actually  applied  by 
the  energy  of  the  will.  Knowledge  w^hich  goes 
not  out  of  itself  is  only  an  aristocratic  form  of 
ignorance. 

Now  this  precisely  illustrates  the  necessity  of 
the  prayer  of  meditation.  We  can  make  no 
progress  towards  God  without  an  immense 
efficiency  of  will.  There  are  so  many  forces 
pulling  in  other  directions  that  our  exertions 


MENTAL  PRAYER, 


237 


need  to  be  almost  superhuman.  It  is  easy 
enough  to  say  that  we  believe;  easy  to  make 
one  honest  act  of  faith  in  the  higher  possibilities 
of  the  Christian  life;  but  O,  the  strain  that 
comes  when  wx  seek  to  repeat  that  act  into  a 
habit,  and  rise  to  our  opportunities  !  Hie  opus, 
hie  labor  est.  The  will  requires  help  and 
strength.  It  needs  an  iron  tonic.  This  tonic  is 
meditation.  For  the  will  can  be  moved  through 
the  understanding.  It  is  by  discursive  thought 
about  those  things  which  are  congruous  with 
the  higher  interests  of  the  soul,  that  we  acquire 
considerations  which  inflame  the  will  with  the 
resolve  to  live  in  closer  conformity  with  the  will 
of  God.  A  state  of  ignorance,  or  a  passive  rest- 
ing in  the  little  driblets  of  knowledge  which 
have  trickled  into  our  minds  without  our  own 
effort,  will  certainly  retard,  and  possibly  arrest, 
progress.  Spiritual  education  is  as  necessarj^as 
intellectual  cultivation.  This  implies  personal 
exertion,  which  often  has  to  be  carried  forward 
to  the  most  heroic  lengths ;  for,  although  an\'- 
one  can  see  how  simple  and  intelligible  is  the 
duty  of  engaging  our  minds  in  meditation  upon 
sacred  themes,  no  one  can  realize  the  greater 
difficulties  to  be  encountered  until  he  meets 
them.    It  is  harder  to  expend  mental  energy 


238 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


■Upon  themes  that  prepare  us  for  spiritual  ends, 
than  upon  subjects  less  heavenly. 

Meditation  is  necessary,  because  the  pra^^er 
of  meditation  is  necessary.  Meditation  shows 
the  way;  prayer  leads  to  God.  Meditation 
without  prayer  is  a  letter  written,  but  not 
mailed.  Holy  thoughts  must  point  the  way  to 
holy  virtues.  It  is  not  enough  to  know,  though 
one  have  the  whole  science  of  theology  at  his 
tongue's  end,  and  can  quote  scriptural  texts  by 
the  thousand.  "  Meditatio^  oratio,  tentatio, 
facit  theologum,^'  is  an  old  saying — '^Medita- 
tion, prayer,  and  temptation,  makes  the  theolo- 
gian.Knowledge,  in  other  words,  must  be 
applied  to  the  soul  in  all  the  manifold  exigencies 
of  its  course.  The  will  takes  its  orders  from  the 
understanding,  and  obeys.  It  rCvSts  not  in  what 
it  has  been  taught,  but  presses  on  in  the  path 
of  practical  duty,  that  it  may  live  for  God  alone, 
and  make  Him  its  All  in  all.  There  are  too 
many  dilettante  Christians,  who  rest  in  their 
little  stores  of  knowledge  as  complacently  as 
the  ostrich  who  buries  his  head  in  the  sands,  and 
thinks  that  to  be  safety.  A  quaint  writer  says : 
''If  we  sew,  we  must  have  a  needle;  but  it  is 
not  the  needle,  but  the  thread,  which  sews;  and 
it  would  be  a  ridiculous  thing,  and  lost  labor, 


MENTAL  PRAYER. 


239 


for  a  man  to  busy  himself  all  day  long  in  sew- 
ing a  cloth  with  a  needle  alone,  without  any 
thread  in  it.  They  act,  however,  nearly  in  the 
same  manner,  who  meditate,  and  make  many 
reflections  in  prayer,  without  applying  them- 
selves to  produce  acts  of  the  will,  as  acts  of 
charity,  humility,  etc.  For  meditation  must  be 
like  the  needle;  it  must  pass  first,  but  it  must 
carry  after  it  the  thread  of  love,  and  such 
affectionate  acts  as  unite  the  will  unto  God.'' 

The  necessity  of  meditation,  or  serious  con- 
sideration of  truths,  appears  in  the  example  of 
our  Lord.  Thus,  when  He  wished  to  teach  the 
unreasonableness  of  corroding  anxiety  about 
the  supply  of  temporal  needs.  He  suggested  the 
study  of  nature.  Consider  the  ravens;  for 
they  neither  sow  nor  reap;  which  neither  have 
storehouse  nor  barn ;  and  God  feedeth  them ; 
how  much  are  ye  better  than  the  fowls!  "  Con- 
sider the  lilies  how  they  grow :  they  toil  not ; 
they  spin  not;  and  3^et  I  say  unto  you  that 
Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  as  one 
of  these.  ^  *  *  How  much  more  will  He 
clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  !  " 

The  prayer  of  meditation  is  necessar3^  because 
we  need  the  blessed  fruitage  of  it.  this  we 
draw  near  to  God  intelligently,  our  affections 


240 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


are  enkindled,  our  wills  are  guided  and  quick- 
ened. We  come  into  possession  of  priceless 
treasures,  of  which  we  would  have  remained 
ignorant  had  we  confined  ourselves  to  the 
prayer  of  petition.  We  see  clearly,  where  once 
we  walked  in  shadows.  The  heavens  are 
opened  above  us,  and  we  walk  in  the  light  that 
streams  upon  our  pathway.  God  crowns 
prayer  with  His  smile.  The  sting  is  taken  out 
of  trouble,  and  we  find  more  and  more  joy  in 
acts  of  entire  self-abandonment  into  the  hands 
of  our  strong  Keeper. 

It  is  the  universal  judgment  of  the  masters  of 
the  science  of  sanctity,  that  the  prayer  of  medi- 
tation contributes  in  the  most  wonderful  man- 
ner to  the  development  of  the  soul  in  holiness. 
It  was  said  by  one  that  it  was  not  possible  that 
a  person  who  practised  it  daily  should  be  lost. 
No  one  has  found  it  to  be  anything  but  a  foun- 
tain of  healing  waters  to  the  soul.  No  one  ever 
gave  it  up  without  falling  into  grave  sin.  No 
one  will  give  it  up  with  deliberation,  unless  he 
has  resolved  to  give  up  God. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


XTbe  prater  of  /iDe&Uatlom 

The  Subjects,  the  Methods,  and  the  Results  of  Mental 
Prayer. 

'^^HIRD,  let  us  consider  the  subjects  of  Medi- 
tation. 

These  are  innumerable.  There  is  scarcely  a 
page  of  Holy  Scripture  upon  which  the  soul 
may  not  profitably  meditate.  Here  is  a  large 
and  inexhaustible  library  of  Divine  knowledge. 
But  beginners  in  the  prayer  of  meditation,  in 
order  to  learn  the  art,  ma\^  find  it  necessary  to 
train  themselves  by  the  use  of  manuals  of  medi- 
tation, which  may  be  had.  Favorite  themes 
are  the  Four  Last  Things.  Others  prefer  the 
Parables,  some  the  Miracles,  some  the  Beati- 
tudes, some  the  Commandments,  many  the  life- 
giving  Words  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  Perfec- 
tions of  God  ought  to  be  considered  with  con- 
stant and  adoring  study,  for  which  the  Psalms 


242 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


are  an  inestimable  treasury  of  devotion.  For 
the  sick,  and  others  of  weakened  mental  force, 
good  hymns  are  often  very  helpful  in  exciting 
the  will,  and  opening  the  path  to  the  throne. 
But  there  is  a  peculiar  virtue  in  the  devotional 
contemplation  of  the  Passion  of  our  Most  Holy 
Redeemer.  At  the  foot  of  the  Cross  is  the  secret 
of  the  saints.  It  is  there  they  learn  most  vividly 
the  awful  nature  of  sin,  as  well  as  the  mysterious 
depths  of  God^s  love  for  the  world. 

But  as  meditation  is  a  devotional  exercise, 
we  should  avoid  subjects  that  are  too  high  for 
ns;  that  appeal  only  to  curiosity;  that  excite 
the  controversial  mood;  that  do  not  easily 
arouse  our  interest.  It  is  very  easy  to  rest  in 
the  meditation  without  passing  on  to  the 
prayer.  Simple  should  be  our  thoughts,  and 
child-like  our  attitude.  '^Neither  do  I  exercise 
ni\^self  in  great  matters,  or  in  things  too  high 
for  me.  Surely,  I  have  behaved  and  quieted 
myself  as  a  child  that  is  weaned  of  his  mother : 
my  soul  is  even  as  a  weaned  child. 

4.    Its  methods. 

It  is  desirable  to  choose  the  subject  of  medi- 
tation before  the  hour  set  apart  for  this  most 
ennobling  form  of  prayer ;  the  day  before,  if  the 
morning  hour.    This  is  a  great  advantage,  be- 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MEDITATION. 


243 


cause  the  mind  will  naturally  recur  to  it  at 
times  during  the  da}^  and  the  heart  will  burn 
with  desire  to  meet  the  Lord. 

When  the  hour  has  come,  kneel  down,  hum- 
ble as  a  little  child,''  use  the  Collect  for  Whit- 
sunday and  the  Veni^  Creator  Spiritus ;  and 
guard  against  being  formal,  stiff,  and  unnatural. 
Do  not  wait  for  some  great  feeling  to  come  to 
you;  but  just  realize  that  you  have  entered  into 
the  dear  presence  of  your  Father.  O,  what  a 
privilege  and  opportunity !  O,  how  great  is  His 
condescension!  Thou  art  here,  my  Father,  as 
truly  as  I  am  here ;  here  to  guide  my  thoughts ; 
to  bear  with  their  wanderings ;  to  stimulate  my 
will ;  to  inflame  my  affections ;  to  strengthen  my 
resolutions.  Help  me,  dear  Father,  to  shut  out 
all  the  world ;  all  thoughts  of  yesterday,  and  of 
this  day  upon  w^hich  I  have  entered,  that  I  may 
concentrate  my  faculties  upon  this  one  thing 
needful.  Lord,  I  am  not  worthy  that  Thou 
shouldest  come  under  my  roof;  nevertheless,  I 
implore  Thee  that  Thou  wilt  make  my  medita- 
tion sweet. 

Naturally  enough,  your  subject  previously 
chosen,  w411  now  present  itself  to  your  mind. 
Read  over  what  you  are  about  to  think  over, 
and  then,  begin  again,  and  think. 


244 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


We  must  avoid  a  mechanical  use  of  method. 
To  begin  with  the  use  of  the  mind,  then  pass  on 
and  appeal  to  the  affections,  and  then  resort  to 
acts  of  the  will,  would  be  absurdly  unnatural. 
With  the  activity  of  the  mind,  the  affections 
and  the  will  may  be  concurrently  aroused  to 
express  themselves  in  pra^^er,  ejaculations,  and 
resolutions.  We  need  method  to  guide  us,  but 
not  to  enslave  us.  Those  who  practise  the 
prayer  of  meditation  daily,  will  soon  learn  to 
observe  method  without  noticing  it.  Be  patient 
with  yourself  at  first.  The  great  thing  is  to 
think  fresh,  strong  thoughts,  and  ask  God  to 
apply  them.  That  is  the  end  of  meditation. 
We  exercise  the  discursive  faculty  in  order  to 
excite  the  instinct  of  prayer,  and  the  spiritual 
action  of  the  will.  Inasmuch  as  we  do  so  in  the 
presence  of  God,  and  under  the  invocation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  we  ought  reverently  to  expect  the 
illumination  we  have  asked  for.  While  I  was 
thus  musing,  the  fire  kindled,  and  at  the  last  I 
spake  with  my  tongue.^'  Stop  when  a  thought 
impresses  you;  for  it  is  a  token  that  the  still, 
small  Voice  is  whispering  within.  Do  not  pass 
on  to  other  considerations,  but  dwell  upon  this, 
until  you  have  extracted  all  its  sweetness.  ^^In 
this  we  should  do  as  the  bees  w^hich  stop  on  a 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MEDITATION. 


245 


flower  as  long  as  the^^  can  find  any  honey  in  it, 
and  then  pass  on  to  another (S.  Francis  de 
Sales).  Such  a  sense  of  the  Divine  presence  may 
overshadow  the  soul,  and  such  a  readiness  of 
converse  be  given,  that  thought  at  last  shall 
melt  into  acts  of  penitence,  love,  humility,  and 
adoration. 

Do  not  confuse  the  affections  with  the  emo- 
tions. Your  thoughts  may  touch  the  heart,  and 
the  eyes  may  sprinkle  your  book  with  tears ; 
but  ordinarily  the  best  blessings  come  to  us 
when  we  are  calm  and  still.  Love  is  a  deliberate 
act.  Sooner,  a  thousand  times,  prefer  to  love 
God  as  the  homage  of  your  will,  than  as  a 
tribute  of  your  feelings.  The  affections  do  not 
need  to  certify  their  reality  by  shouts  of  rapture, 
or  moans  of  sorrow.  Mistake  not  natural  feel- 
ings for  supernatural  grace. 

Distraction  is  the  great  bother  in  the  prayer 
of  meditation.  It  is  a  bother,  but  not  a  sin.  It 
is  no  more  a  sin  than  the  passing  of  a  steam 
fire-engine  in  the  street.  Do  not  stop,  but  keep 
right  on  in  your  meditation,  offering  up  your 
weakness  to  God.  '^For  He  knoweth  our 
frame:  He  remembereth  that  we  are  dust.''  We 
shall  have  to  endure  distraction  and  wandering- 
thoughts  a  long,  long  time,  as  the  just  penalty 


246 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


of  past  superficiality  and  lack  of  concentration  ; 
but  there  is  no  sin  if  we  do  not  make  too  much 
of  them,  and  if  we  learn  quietly  to  push  them 
aside,  and  proceed  with  our  prayer.  Do  not 
begin  again  saying  to  yourself,  Now  I  will  con- 
centrate my  powers  without  distraction,  and 
put  my  whole  soul  into  every  word !  You  will 
only  attempt  the  impossible.  Distraction  fol- 
lows the  soul  that  prays,  like  a  shadow.  Do 
not  worry  over  a  shadow;  dismiss  it  with  con- 
tempt, and  go  on.  Distractions  which  we  despise 
and  dismiss  become  prayer.  It  is  remarkable  to 
observe  how  business  men  apply  their  minds  to 
transactions  requiring  all  their  powers,  without 
being  turned  aside  by  the  noise  and  whirl  of  a 
great  centre  of  trade.  There  is  the  same  oppor- 
tunity, if  we  will  persevere,  to  acquire  recollec- 
tion in  prayer,  without  w^orry  over  inevitable 
distractions. 

There  are  times  when  the  heart  seems  be- 
numbed as  with  cold,  and  the  desire  to  pray 
vanishes.  This  is  sometimes  the  natural  effect 
of  our  own  faults ;  but  it  is  probable  that  this 
experience  often  comes  as  a  test  or  discipline 
administered  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  the  purpose 
of  teaching  us  not  to  rest  in  our  fervors.  He 
withdraws  everything  but  Himself,  from  us.  It 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MEDITATION.  247 


brings  a  gloom  and  aridity  that  is  very  sore  for 
the  eager  soul  to  bear ;  but  that  is  the  very  pur- 
pose of  it,  that  we  may  bear  it;  for  what  mat- 
ters it  whether  our  faculties  are  lively  or  torpid  ? 
In  either  case,  it  is  our  triumph  to  seek  consola- 
tion in  God  Alone.  Be  assured  that  when  He 
withdraws  sensible  enjoyment,  it  is  only  that 
we  may  be  taught  to  surrender  ourselves  more 
entirely  to  Him.  Certainly,  there  is  no  moment 
when  we  need  Him  more,  or  need  to  feel  our 
need  more,  than  when  He  seems  to  leave  us  to 
ourselves.  Remember,  too,  that  He  is  never 
more  near  to  us  than  when  we  dream  that  He 
is  far  away.  *^In  a  little  wrath  I  hid  My  face 
from  thee  for  a  moment;  but  with  everlasting 
kindness  will  I  have  mercy  on  thee,  saith  the 
Lord,  thy  Redeemer.^' 

And  now  one  more  precept.  Never  rise  from 
the  prayer  of  meditation  without  a  deliberate 
resolve  to  apply  this  or  that  lesson  to  yourself 
this  very  to-day.  This  is  most  important,  for  it 
clinches  all  that  has  gone  before.  ''I  will  arise, 
said  the  prodigal  son;  ^'and  he  arose  and  came 
to  his  father.^' 

An  act  of  thanksgiving  for  that  which  the 
dear  Father  has  done  for  you  in  your  medita- 
tion, followed   by  an   act  of   humility  and 


248 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


abjection,  will  fitly  close  the  sweet  hour  of 
prayer. 

Of  the  place  of  meditation,  it  may  be  said 
that  one  can  think  and  pray  anywhere.  We 
can  carr^^  the  solitude  of  the  mart  into  the 
busiest  scenes  of  life;  and,  indeed,  who  can 
afford  to  close  the  doors  of  the  little  oratory  in 
his  breast,  wherever  he  may  be,  and  whatever 
his  pressing  duty  in  this  world  ?  But  this 
should  not  excuse  us  from  the  closet.^'  There 
is  immense  virtue  in  retiracy,  silence,  and  alone- 
ness.  By  precept  and  example,  our  Lord  has 
made  His  will  concerning  this  ver3''  plain.  The 
church,  when  its  doors  are  open  ( and  when  should 
they  be  closed  ?),  is  a  favorite  place  with  some. 

For  private  meditation,  the  morning  hour 
should  undoubtedly  be  preferred.  After  God's 
blessing  of  sleep,  the  powers  of  the  mind  are 
fresh  and  vigorous.  Early  Communions  are 
very  precious  to  many,  because  they  seem  to  be 
better  able  then  to  collect  their  forces  of  soul, 
and  centre  them  on  the  Lord  in  the  Sacrament. 
But  as  the  prayer  of  meditation  requires  a  time, 
you  must  take  time  at  any  cost.  This  is  the 
great  battle  one  has  to  fight.  Herein  ''the 
kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence,  and  the 
violent  take  it  by  force.''   There  is  always  time 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MEDITATION. 


249 


for  the  necessities  of  dress  and  food;  but  what 
so  necessary  as  the  well-being  of  our  souls  ?  We 
must  make  time,  if  no  more  than  five  minutes  ; 
and  in  the  prayer  of  meditation  that  wnll  seem 
a  long  time  to  the  beginner.  But  the  briefest 
period,  honestly  and  earnestly  spent,  will  stamp 
the  impress  of  heaven  on  the  heart,  and  exercise 
a  sanctifying  influence  throughout  the  day. 
Suppose,  for  example,  that  you  have  only  five 
minutes  in  which  to  meditate  on  the  miracle  of 
the  healing  of  the  blind  man  nigh  unto  Jericho, 
with  earnest  acts  of  penitence,  faith,  humility 
and  love.  It  will  be  very  strange  if  all  the  dav 
through  you  do  not  often  repeat  the  pathetic 
cry:  Jesus,  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  me ! 

5.   Its  results. 

The  reverent  consideration  of  sacred  subjects 
must  always  arouse  the  conscience,  and  stimu- 
late the  spiritual  susceptibilities;  but  when  the 
prayer  of  meditation  becomes  habitual,  so  much 
a  part  of  one^s  daily  life  that  omission  produces 
in  the  soul  the  pain  which  unappeased  hunger 
produces  in  the  body,  the  effects  upon  Christian 
character  are  transforming. 

While  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  for  the 
mere  sake  of  knowledge  is  not  the  end,  it  is 


250 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


incidentally  valuable.  The  treasures  of  sacred 
knowledge  are  inexhaustible;  and  we  should 
always  be  eager  to  learn  new  lessons  in  this 
noblest  of  all  the  sciences.  In  the  culture  of  one 
faculty,  we  acquire  habits  of  application  and 
perseverance,  which  will  be  of  the  highest  benefit 
in  the  culture  of  another.  The  powers  of  the 
mind,  when  trained  and  regulated,  contribute 
much  to  a  healthy  balance  of  the  whole  nature, 
and  to  that  right  judgment  in  all  things  w^hich 
is  indispensable  in  our  spiritual  development. 
Moreover,  the  constant  study  of  religious  truth 
is  a  very  potent  safeguard  against  false  views. 
Superstition  and  fanaticism  are  the  progeny  of 
ignorance.  Untrained  minds  originated  most 
of  the  heresies  which  have  risen  in  rebellion 
against  the  Catholic  Faith. 

But,  as  the  end  of  meditation  is  the  promo- 
tion of  the  soul's  union  with  God,  we  look  for 
its  holy  fruitage  in  the  domain  of  the  spirit, 
chiefly.  Souls  innumerable,  having  their  sancti- 
fication  at  heart,  have  found  this  way  of  prayer 
to  be  the  pathway  to  union  with  God. 

It  loosens  the  hold  of  earthly  interests  upon 
the  affections,  it  brings  into  bold  relief  the  real 
End  of  human  life,  it  demonstrates  that  there  is 
but    one  thing  needful. 


'THE  PRAYER  OF  MEDITATION.  251 


It  brings  God  near,  and  reveals  Him  in  such 
glory  and  beauty,  that  the  soul  is  strongly 
impelled  to  make  Him  its  All  in  all. 

It  brings  the  devout  soul  near  to  God,  and 
inspires  it  with  the  confidence  and  reposeful 
intimacy  of  the  little  child. 

It  promotes  awe  and  adoration  by  revela- 
tions of  the  overwhelming  majesty  of  Him  who 
is  glorious  in  holiness,  fearful  in  praises,  con- 
tinually doing  wonders.'^  Thus,  it  infuses  into 
the  whole  life  a  sense  of  holy  fear,  and  makes  of 
every  action  an  act  of  worship.  It  teaches  the 
soul  to  walk  softl3^  before  the  Lord,  and  to  hold 
in  reverence  all  those  things  by  which  He  makes 
Himself  known. 

It  excites  the  activity  of  the  will,  and  maintains 
its  energy  under  the  most  adverse  conditions. 

It  fills  the  soul  with  ardent  desire  and  strong 
purpose  to  become  emancipated,  wholly,  from 
the  reigning  power  of  sin.  It  enables  the  will  to 
go  forth  upon  the  battlefields  of  purgation  with 
every  assurance  of  victory.  It  helps  to  gain  the 
day,  and  has  a  just  right  to  rejoice  in  ever3^  sin 
subjugated ;  every  disposition  to  return  to  the 
old  paths  of  self-indulgence  neutralized;  ever\' 
virtue  springing  up  and  growing  in  the  place 
where  evil  habits  formerly  flourished. 


252 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


It  puts  force  and  virtue  into  every  solemn 
resolution  to  lead  a  new  life  after  the  pattern  of 
the  man  Christ  Jesus,  and  is  a  strong  help  in 
carrying  such  resolves  into  good  effect. 

It  disposes  to  that  lifting  yip  of  the  gates  of 
the  inner  temple,  by  which  God  is  invited  to 
enter  in  and  abide  forever;  which  implies  the 
honest  renunciation  of  self,  as  guide  and  ruler, 
the  repudiation  of  reserve  or  half-heartedness, 
and  the  substitution  of  the  will  of  God  in  the 
room  and  stead  of  self-will.  It  stimulates  the 
soul  to  repeated  acts  of  surrender  by  daily  self- 
oblation,  until  there  is  enthroned,  in  the  secret 
**deep  of  the  heart,''  a  perfect  will  to  do,  to 
suffer,  or  to  sacrifice  whatever  the  Father  may 
command,  and  all  with  joy.  There  is  also  a 
willing  acceptance  of  God's  will  as  it  shall  be 
manifested  in  the  future,  without  fear  of  evil, 
without  anxious  forebodings,  with  supreme 
conviction  that  all  things  always  shall  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God. 

It  influences  the  will  to  express  itself  in  holy 
affections.  It  reveals  sin,  and  repentance  ensues. 
It  exposes  the  subtleties  of  self-love,  and  then 
follow  humility  and  mistrust  of  vSelf.  It  points 
to  the  Everlasting  Arms,  and  challenges  the  soul 
to  confide  in  God,  with  implicit  trust.    It  shows 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MEDITATION.  253 


forth  His  goodness,  and  opens  our  lips  in  songs 
of  grateful  praise.  It  tells  of  His  love,  and 
kindles  ours.  It  teaches  us  to  join  with  the 
eternal  ascriptions  of  all  angels  and  spirits  who 
cry :      Hoh^  holy,  holy !  " 

It  fosters  in  us  an  ever-growing  desire  for 
aloneness  with  God,  that  we  may  have  com- 
munion with  Him  in  the  strange  sweetness  of 
that  confidential  fellowship  which  comes  after 
awhile  to  persevering  souls — a  fellowship  in 
which,  without  loss  of  reverence,  the  heart 
whispers  its  inmost  desires  in  His  ear,  and 
speaks  with  Him  as  friend  answereth  to  friend. 
Sometimes  these  confidential  relations  take  the 
form  of  colloquy ;  and  sometimes  there  is  silence, 
pure  rest,  unsyllabled  love,  deep  and  mysterious 
peace. 

It  cultivates  such  a  high  conception  of  God, 
and  such  relations  to  His  being,  that  the  vision 
of  the  trained  spirit  may  behold  Him  as  Pure 
Spirit,  and  may  rise  to  the  height  of  contem- 
plating Him  without  the  need  of  mental  forms 
and  images.  Meditation  has  then  exhausted 
its  possibilities,  and  frees  the  soul  it  has  so  long 
blest  for  loftier  flights  into  the  Divine;  but  few 
are  the3^  w^ho  soar  so  far. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


Service  tbe  ifruit  ot  tbe  IRew  Xife 

The  Conversion  of  Martha— The  Message  of  the  New 
Martha,  *'The  Master  is  come  and  calleth  for 
thee"  — The  Secret  of  True  Service  Revealed. 

ynV  ARTHA,  as  long  as  she  acted  upon  her 
theory  of  order  and  precedence  in  duty, 
was  cumbered  with  much  serving.  Externalists 
do  not  find  much  rest  for  their  souls  in  wearing 
the  yoke  of  Christ,  and  they  soon  become  weary 
of  the  burdens  they  have  so  zealously  assumed. 
Her  task  was  too  great  for  one  pair  of  hands, 
as  it  seemed  to  her  vexed  mind ;  and  therefore, 
with  that  lack  of  deHcacy  (to  say  nothing  of 
self-forgetfulness)  which  very  practical  people 
usually  show,  she  actually  proposed  to  lead  Mary 
away  from  the  presence  of  the  Messiah,  that  she 
might  bear  a  hand  in  the  work  of  the  kitchen. 

Martha,  poor  soul !  did  not  yet  perceive  that 
the  natural  tendencj^  of  zeal,  as  the  master- 
motive  of  action,  is  to  make  more  of  the  work 


SERVICE  THE  FRUIT  OF  THE  NEW  LIFE.  255 


and  the  worker  than  of  Him  for  whom  it  pro- 
fesses to  labor.  Blindly  bound  up  in  itself,  it 
knows  no  wisdom  like  its  own;  and,  proud  of 
its  petty  deeds,  it  condemns,  as  lacking  in 
^'spirituality,^'  those  who  refuse  to  drown,  in 
the  clatter  of  guilds  and  societies,  the  voice 
which  calls  them  to  the  good  part  which  shall 
not  be  taken  away.  She  did  not  perceive  that 
they  who  would  really  do  good,  must  first 
devote  themselves  to  becoming  good.  She  did 
not  yet  see  the  truth,  which  was  soon  to  burst 
in  splendor  on  her  soul,  that  the  chief  end  of  a 
Christian  life  is  to  be  re-fashioned  into  char- 
acter-likeness to  the  Lord  Jesus,  by  the  unre- 
served surrender  of  the  entire  being  into  His 
hands — by  that  surrender  made  plastic  to  His 
touch.  It  was  the  missing  thought  in  her  busy 
and  useful  life.  She  could  not  yet  understand 
how  anything  could  have  a  stronger  claim  than 
work,''  or  be  a  greater  help. 

Mary,  sitting  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  was  an 
object-lesson,  illustrating  His  view  of  disciple- 
ship,  and  teaching  Martha  her  error. 

And  now  there  came  a  crisis  in  her  life.  She 
began  to  see  herself,  and  all  her  exterior  service, 
in  a  new  and  revealing  light.  It  was  scarcelj^  a 
light;  it  was  a  glimmer  of  the  coming  dawn; 


256 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


but  it  sufficed  to  startle  her  self-complacency. 
The  activities  of  which  she  had  been  so  proud, 
pluming  herself  that  no  one  was  so  useful  as 
she,  pleased  with  the  praises  of  her  neighbors 
as  the  just  desert  of  her  merit,  now  began  to 
appear  less  commendable  than  she  had  claimed, 
ai^d  they  conceded.  Gradually  the  dawn  must 
have  brightened  into  day;  and  with  increase  of 
light,  her  heart  melted  within  her.  She  saw 
things  precisel^^  as  they  were ;  and  the  revelation 
began  to  move  her  whole  nature  with  trans- 
forming power:  She  could  not  but  fall  down  at 
the  feet  of  Jesus,  close  by  Mary's  side,  bewaiUng 
her  folly  with  many  a  sob,  and  vowing  with 
many  a  tear  to  seek  a  humble  share  in  that  good 
part  which  her  sister  had  chosen. 

Wh'at  a  remarkable  scene !  Martha,  the  busy 
worker,  kneeling  silent  at  the  Saviour's  feet ; 
Mary,  looking  up  at  His  face  w4th  tender  grati- 
tude for  the  triumph  of  His*  word ;  Lazarus,  for- 
getting the  pains  of  disease  in  the  fulness  of  his 
pleasure;  the  weary  Sojourner,  calmly  resting 
in  the  love  and  adoration  of  all.  More  grateful 
to  Him  those  sobs  of  penitence,  and  those  words 
of  love,  than  the  daintiest  feast  which  all  Beth- 
any could  have  spread  before  Him. 

S.John  paints  the  portrait  of  the  new  Mar- 


SERVICE  THE  FRUIT  OF  THE  NEW  LIFE.  257 


tha.  Some  time  afterwards  the  L^ord  Jesus  was 
again  on  His  way  to  Bethany.  Lazarus  had 
just  died,  and  his  body  had  been  deposited  in 
the  tomb.  Martha,  hearing  of  His  approach, 
ran  out  to  meet  Him  on  His  way ;  and  whgn  she 
saw  Him  she  said  :  Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  "Been 
here,  my  brother  had  not  died.  But  I  know  that 
even  now,  whatsoever  Thou  wilt  ask  of  God, 
God  will  give  it  Thee."  And  is  this  our  dear  old' 
friend,  the  practical  busy-bee?  Is  this  Martha, 
showing  such  overwhelming  faith  in  the  power 
of  the  Messiah,  and  His  prevalence  of  inter- 
cession with  the  Father?  Yes,  for  all  things  . 
have  become  new,  and  the  humbled  spirit  ha^ 
learned  the  lesson  of  the  good  part  in  all  its 
fulness.  Then  comes  His  quick  recognition  of 
her  changed  state;  and  He,  wTio  had  onqie 
rebuked  her  worldly  spirit,  now  confers  upon, 
her  the  honor  of  hearing  from  His  own  lipl  the 
secret  of  the  resurrection :  ^^I  am  the  resurrec- 
tion and  the  life;  he  that  believeth  in  Me^ 
though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live;  and 
whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  Me  shall 
never  die.''  Then,  for  a  test  of  her  marvellous 
faith.  He  asks:  ^^Believest  thou  this?"  He 
asks  her  to  believe,  on  His  bare  word,  what  an 
Apostle  afterwards  refused  to  believe,  until  he 


258 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


had  put  his  finger  in  the  prints  of  the  nails  and 
thrust  his  hand  in  the  pierced  side.  '  O,  woman, 
once  careful  and  troubled  about  many  things, 
how  simple,  pure  and  clear  is  thy  vision  now ! 
^^Believest  thou  this?'^  asks  the  Master;  and 
she  replies:  ^'Yea,  Lord;  I  believe  that  Thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  which  should 
come  into  the  world. 

S.  Peter  showed  not  a  faith  more  beautiful, 
triumphant,  and  rock-like  in  its  strength  than 
this;  and,  since  Martha  echoes  his  very  lan- 
guage, has  she  not  her  share  in  the  benediction 
of  Simon  Bar-jona?  Blessed  art  thou,  *  *  ^ 
for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto 
thee,  but  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven.^' 

Then  notice  also,  how  changed  are  her  rela- 
tions to  Mary.  It  is  perfectly  beautiful,  the 
story  as  you  read  it.  As  soon  as  she  makes  the 
great  acknowledgment,  the  highest  act  of  faith 
of  which  she  is  capable,  in  which  she  is  the  peer 
of  the  great  Apostle,  she  goes  her  way  with 
rapid  pace  to  the  Bethany  home,  and  calls  her 
sister  aside,  to  whisper  in  her  ear  the  tidings : 
*'The  Master  is  come,  and  calleth  for  thee.'' 
What  strides  in  humility,  as  well  as  in  faith  and 
love,  has  this  changed  woman  made!  How 
unconsciously  she  keeps  herself  in  the  back- 


SERVICE  THE  FRUIT  OF  THE  NEW  LIFE.  259 


ground,  and  how  delicately  she  puts  her  sister 
forward !  And  when  afterwards  the  Lord  came 
again  to  Bethany  (S.  John  xii.  1-3),  and  they 
made  Him  a  supper,  Martha,  with  her  active, 
busy,  helpful  nature,  could  not  but  lend  a  help- 
ing hand.  ^'And  Martha  served.'^  But  how 
changed  her  service!  how  recollected  her 
demeanor!  how  divested  of  the  former  self- 
assertiveness  and  presumption,  the  former  petu- 
lance, and  even  impertinence!  She  loves  and 
adores  while  she  serves;  and  there  is  no  word 
of  rebuke  when  Mary  pours  the  costly  nard 
upon  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and,  in  the  exuberance  of 
her  devotion,  wipes  them  with  her  flowing 
tresses.  Martha  and  Lazarus  (for  he  that  was 
dead  *Svas  one  of  them  that  sat  at  the  table 
with  Him  unite  their  grateful  hearts  with  her 
tribute  of  love.  Rebuke  and  criticism  are  now 
the  role  of  Judas. 

And  now  may  we  listen  to  the  new  Martha's 
message,  uttered  with  the  affection  and  earnest- 
ness of  a  soul  that  has  been  converted  from  a 
false  theory  of  the  essential  principle  of  the 
Christian  life:  The  Master  is  come,  and  calleth 
for  thee!'' 

It  is  the  Master  who  calls  ! 

Fresl^and  strong  as  the  blast  of  a  trumpet 


260 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE, 


comes  the  call,  from  Him  who  knows  how 
Divine  authority  has  correlated  the  duties  of 
the  Christian  as  to  their  order  and  precedence. 
With  that  call  sounding  in  our  ears,  zeal  should 
drop  its  quibble  with  shame,  and  obedience 
respond  to  the  argument  of  love.  His  voice 
cleaves  through  all  self-conceit,  and  lays  bare 
the  hj'-pocrisy  of  the  heart  which  gives  to  service 
the  first  place  that  belongs  to  God.  It  is  so  easy 
to  choose  the  lighter  labor,  and  spend  ourselves 
on  that  which  costs  the  least  outlay  of  strength  ; 
and  when  we  have  seemed  to  soothe  conscience 
with  external  activities  to  the  neglect  of  the 
severer  grapple  of  the  will  with  our  interior 
deficiencies,  we  do  not  love  the  keen  edge  of 
exposure,  even  when  His  hand  wields  the  knife. 
But  ^'faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a  friend. 

The  acute  thrill  of  pain  that  pierces  our  self- 
satisfaction  is  only  another  form  of  the  Master's 
love;  and,  if  so  accepted,  is  the  presentiment  of 
our  conversion.  When  the  Master  despoils  a 
soul  of  trust  in  its  doings.  He  confers  the  best 
of  blessings ;  and  the  more  He  takes  from  us, 
the  more  His  mercy  is  ready  to  bestow. 

It  is  a  call  personal  to  each  one  of  us ! 

It  singles  us  out,  and  in  the  depths  of  the 
individual  conscience  cries :    Martha!  J^artha! 


SER  VICE  THE  FR UIT  OF  THE  NEW  LIFE,      26 1 


Have  we  not  heard  that  call?  Have  we  not  in 
our  busiest  moments  of  exterior  activity  been 
startled  by  it,  and  been  led  to  suspect  that  there 
is  something  deeper,  nobler,  more  Christlike 
than  to  dOy  which  is,  to  be? 

It  is  the  call  of  the  Master  to  become  as  the 
Master,  whose  inner  life  was  a  continuous  self- 
oblation  to  the  Father's  will ! 

God  longs  for  us — not  for  our  poor  little  pos- 
sibilities of  labor.  He  is  jealous  of  the  tyrants 
who  enslave  so  many  of  His  children,  and  who 
permit  them  little  time  for  the  higher  w^alks  of 
Christian  duty.  His  expectant  eyes  are  fixed 
upon  us,  if  haply  He  may  see  us  seeking  first  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  content 
if  afterwards  all  the  blessed  fruits  of  service  are 
added  unto  us.  He  wishes  to  see  us  busy  about 
that  character-building,  which  alone  can  make 
us  fit  to  be  called  the  disciples  of  Christ.  He 
sees  that  there  are  a  thousand  battles  to  be 
fought  and  won,  within  the  deep  of  the  heart,'' 
before  we  can  become,  in  any  effective  and  abid- 
ing sense,  co-workers  with  God.  O,  how  we 
Christian  people  are  tr^ang  His  patience !  How 
far  we  seem  to  be  from  reproducing  the  Master's 
life  in  the  world  !  O,  my  soul,  is  it  thy  stubborn 
purpose  to  defer  thy  response  to  the  Master's 
call,  until  He  shall  come  in  anger  with  a  whip 


262 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


of  cords  in  His  hands,  and  enter  into  His  defiled 
temple  and  say :  Take  these  things  hence  ? 
^^The  Master  is  come,  and  calleth  for  thee.'^ 
For  thee,  that  thou  mayest  make  thyself 
over  unreservedly  to  His  spiritual  guidance  and 
governance;  but  in  calling  thee  to  Himself,  He 
calleth  thee  to  hol}^  service  and  obedience.  It  is 
the  second  commandment;  but  it  is  like  unto 
the  first  v^hen  love  is  the  motive  that  moves  it 
to  activity.  In  the  great  renunciation  of  self, 
He  does  not  even  suggest  any  renunciation  of 
outward  activity.  When  we  give  Him  the  first 
affection  and  loyalty  of  our  hearts,  when  with 
deep  contrition  we  own  the  impertinence  of 
service  without  soul-culture,  and  seek  a  nobler 
consecration,  resolving  to  live  in  Him  as  mem- 
bers of  a  holy  Head,  then,  and  only  then,  are  we 
qualified  to  give  Him  acceptable  service;  then, 
and  only  then,  does  a  Divine  virtue  pass  from 
the  hem  of  His  garment,  and  put  vitality  into 
our  labors.  Those  who  live  on  terms  of  con- 
scious intimacy  with  God,  who  crown  their 
manhood  with  its  highest  present  possibility  of 
attainment  in  the  complete  abandonment  of 
their  wills  to  God,  and  who  repeat  this  act  of 
self-transfer  into  His  keeping  hands,  until  the 
power  of  choice  is  resolved  into  an  habitual 
preference  for  His  will  and  way,  are  never  found 


SERVICE  THE  FRUIT  OF  THE  NEW  LIFE.  263 


wanting  when  secondary  duty  claims  first  and 
orderly  attention.  On  the  contrary,  just  because 
they  make  God  their  first  end,  they  are  more 
likely  than  any  one  to  be  consistently  and 
unweariedly  faithful  in  that  blessed  service, 
which  is  their  second  end.  Because  they  devote 
themselves  to  becoming  good,  they  love  to  be 
doing  good.  In  the  solemn  hush  of  prayer, 
apart  from  the  gaze  of  the  world,  when  medita- 
tion's sacred  calm  fills  the  soul,  and  the  Holy 
Dove  hovers  over  every  thought  and  desire,  the 
secret  of  true  service  stands  revealed,  and  the 
will  is  at  length  informed  with  the  power  of  the 
one  true  motive  of  action;  which  is  love  for 
God. 

This,  then,  is  the  great  and  crucial  lesson 
which  the  busy  discipleship  of  our  time  needs  to 
learn.  It  does  not  disparage  zeal.  It  does 
denounce  the  spurious  zeal  which  would  crowd 
away  the  higher  motives  of  activity  from  their 
lawful  predominance,  and  does  plead  for  the 
rehabilitation  of  that  zeal  which  is  the  fruit  of  a 
profound  spiritual  devotion  to  God  in  the  secret 
chambers  of  the  soul.  In  one  word,  it  is  a  cry 
for  reformation ! 

The  twentieth  centur^^  promises  to  be  the 
battle-ground  of  many  issues  in  religion,  soci- 
ology, philosophy  and  government;  and  it  is 


264 


THE  INTERIOR  LIFE. 


already  sending  back  the  call  for  a  better  type 
of  Christian  man  to  stand  forth  and  stand  up 
in  the  defence  and  spread  of  the  Catholic  Faith. 
Only  he  who  is  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of 
power  shall  be  equal  to  the  conflicts,  perils, 
sacrifices,  that  await  the  Church  of  God.  O, 
coming  man  of  God,  thy  heart  filled  with  the 
love  of  Christ,  thy  faculties  trained  in  the  prac- 
tice of  the  interior  life,  thy  life  devoted  to  thy 
one  great  end,  delay  not  thy  advent!  The  old 
soldiers,  worn  and  weary  with  the  battle,  must 
soon  disappear;  and  many  have  already  greeted 
us,  morituri  salutamus!  Let  us  listen  to  their 
last  messages,  and  be  better  men,  braver  sol- 
diers, truer  disciples,  than  those  that  went 
before.  Be  God-inspired,  God-possessed,  God- 
fascinated  men,  and  each  man's  strength  shall 
be  as  the  strength  of  ten  ! 

May  God  bless  the  new  Martha's  message  to 
our  souls ;  and  may  He  give  us  no  rest  from  that 
word:  *^The  Master  is  come  and  calleth  for 
thee,''  until  we  find  it  in  Him ! 

May  the  supreme  crisis  of  each  Christian  life 
even  now  draw  near,  when  the  Searcher  of 
hearts  shall  pronounce  over  surrendered  self 
the  blessed  judgment  of  omniscient  joy — **But 
one  thing  is  needful ;  and  Mary  hath  chosen  that 
good  part  which  shall  not  be  taken  from  her!  " 


